Number Five
by mutantblueberry
Summary: There were nine of us in the beginning of all of this. We're part of an intergalactic war, whether we like it or not. They are close. They are hunting us. They will not stop until they have killed every last one of us. I am Number Five.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: A New Beginning

It had been only a short time since my Cêpan, Sondra, was killed. I remember it like it was just yesterday.

We were in a measly motel in Athens. I was in the bathroom, brushing my teeth when I heard her scream. Immediately, I rushed outside to see about six or seven Mogs piling down our hotel room. Though there was only a few of them, all of them were heavily armed with Mogadorian swords that gleamed when they caught reflections of light and strange devices resembling a machinegun but with knives piercing around it.

I shrieked in panic and immediately rushed to Sondra's side. The only Legacies I had were telekinesis, and flight.

I used the normal household objects such as kitchen knives, lampshades, and bedside drawers to fire out as many Mogs as I could. But it wasn't enough. They kept shooting and firing and more of them piled into the room. Sondra told me to get away but I wanted to fight. I wanted to kill every last one of them.

Sondra begged me to so I went away to my room, firing the Mogs that were in the way with my telekinesis. When I finally made it to my handicap of a room, I grabbed the backpack that was always packed with clothes, my Chest, money, Loric gems, a map, and a bottle of water. I had no choice but to go. She always lectured me about how if we get in a situation like this; I have to do what she tells me.

I destroyed a wall with my telekinesis and floated away.

I didn't turn back.

Even though I didn't dare to turn my head, I heard a piercing scream blast from the motel room. I had no idea where the manager or the other employees were. Maybe the Mogs took care of them too. But I know for sure that it was Sondra. My Cêpan was dead.

…

I've been in two places ever since: Philippines, and, currently, Argentina.

Sondra and I planned to go to those two places specifically since they are both on different sides of the world; thus not letting the Mog figure out some sort of pattern.

During day, I train; I jog for about an hour or so, next I do cardio and practice upper-arm strength. After that, I train with my Legacies. Sondra told me how to soundproof rooms so other people won't suspect anything.

My telekinesis is nearly perfect and I can now control my floating Legacy.

At night, I study about my heritage and about Lorien by playing around with the fancy gems and stones I find inside my Chest. Sondra would be proud.


	2. Chapter 2

I wake up in the middle of the night feeling strange.

Sondra always told me about how some of the Garde may have visions of Setrakus Ra, the Mogadorian leader, or Pittacus Lore, Lorien's ruling elder.

I didn't think that I would be having these visions but apparently not.

I was in a dark room. I couldn't hear, see, or feel anything around me. Suddenly, a huge somebody steps toward me and my first instinct was to run away. But I couldn't. It's like I was frozen in place.

I tried using my telekinesis but my Legacies didn't work either.

Then when they were looming over me, I knew that that huge somebody was none other than Setrakus Ra.

I thought for sure I was going to die; I could practically feel death looming over me which in this case is actually true.

I crouched down, hoping it would protect me from his wrath, but he didn't attack me. He didn't even look at me. Instead, he leaped forward, his Mogadorian sword gleaming in his hand.

At first, I don't notice what he's doing. Then I realize he's running towards another person. Pittacus Lore.

I gasped but my mouth couldn't move. I couldn't speak in there either.

Setrakus thrust his sword forward but Pittacus teleported to another spot in the room, about five yards away from Setrakus.

Setrakus ran towards him again, this time clapping his hands in a slow, cruel motion.

Pittacus' Legacies were gone somehow. He couldn't do anything but run, dodge, and sometimes fight Setrakus with his bare hands.

The battle lasted on for a while and I didn't understand why Setrakus didn't just impale Pittacus right then and there but then I realized that Pittacus is probably the fastest Loric to have ever lived because Setrakus couldn't have even laid a finger on him. I smirked. That's why he's the ruling elder.

Eventually, Setrakus got progressively more tired and tired until he just fell to the ground. No, he wasn't dead but he was so looking so weak and so frail he might as well have been.

I blinked.

When I opened my eyes, I was back in the cheap motel room I've been in for the past three weeks.

I knew exactly what the vision meant: Setrakus Ra _can _be defeated. Just because he survived this long doesn't mean he's immortal.

I began training with a renewed vigor; my punches were lightning-fast, just like Pittacus', my kicks strong, my dodging has also greatly improved. It felt like Pittacus was right there beside me, telling me to not give up; to go on.

After that, I was practicing with my Legacies, and just when I was going to launch a kitchen knife at my target, a fireball suddenly snaked its way to my hand. For a second, I didn't know what was happening but then I realized I was developing a new Legacy. Just in time.

I started experimenting with it more, firing fireballs at the sink and watering them down. Then, when I exhaled, a gust of wind came out of my mouth and made my already messy room even messier. I couldn't just control fire; I could control the four elements as well. Wicked.

I tried washing my hands with water of my own creation. I also tried forming dirt or soil with my own hands. I tried everything you could imagine with this type of Legacy.

I tried incorporating it with my flying Legacy but I think I overdid it with the air because the manager knocked on my door and asked what was going on.

"Nothing!" I replied, flustered.

"Some of the other tenants have been complaining that they heard you laughing and screaming so early in the morning. Care to explain?" he asked sternly.

Apparently, while I was enjoying my newfound Legacy, I was simultaneously laughing. And maybe even screaming. I didn't even notice.

"Nothing, Sir, I was just watching some television and heard a funny joke." I lied.

"Oh, well, I'm quite fond of jokes."

Does he really expect me to tell him? What am I supposed to do now?

"Um, it's in another, uh, language." I was not good at lying at all.

"I'm fluent in ten languages. I think I can understand." He boasted.

"No, uh, it's in…Morse Code."

"Morse Code?"

I nodded. He wasn't buying it.

"How can you tell a funny joke in Morse Code?" he mumbled.

I shrugged. Uh-oh.

He shook his head. "Well, just don't let me catch you again, or else…" his voice trailed off and he went away.

Phew.

I've got to be more careful with this new Legacy. I don't want to be any more suspicious than I already am.


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning, I decided to move. The people are getting too suspicious and Sondra always told me about how if they get suspicious, you have to move. Quick.

I decided to go back to America. Not in Athens, but in Chicago. It's a nice place, crowded; full of people and that's why I chose it.

I started packing my backpack, making sure everything I need for survival is there.

I came across my Chest and started flipping through the contents.

It was all the same, really. I didn't know what any of them do so I decided to try them out.

I picked a glowing metal orb at random and began tossing it in my fingers.

It then started to grow bigger every time my hand passed through it. I kept tossing.

After a minute or two, it was now twice the size of my head. I still didn't know what it does so I tried tossing it at the wall.

It bounced from the wall and came crashing towards me but I duck at the last second.

It kept bouncing from the walls of either side of my room and it started emitting a blue fluorescent glow. I watched in awe as it got so big, it almost didn't fit in my crappy motel room.

After the bouncing has ceased, it just stood there, floating in midair. Then, it creaked open and showed a little room inside. Of course, I just had to go in.

The room looked very much like the ship the other Garde and I rode here to Earth. There was a chair in the middle with a control panel in front of it.

I sat down. It must have been for the driver of this space pod.

Right after I sat, the door closed as quickly as it opened. I was afraid that I was going to get stuck in that pod for life but then I realized that I can just break the whole pod in with my telekinesis.

I started playing around with the control panel; discovering that this button does that and that button does this. It was pretty cool.

I pushed a lever that was just below my seat and the pod started to move. A steering wheel appeared at the very middle of the control panel. I grinned and started turning the steering wheel, making the pod go in every direction I wanted. I pushed two or three more buttons and found out that this pod can also shoot lasers hot enough to melt my bedside drawer within seconds. Oops. I may have to pay for that.

I pushed yet another button and the pod was then covered in some sort of shield.

I kept pushing buttons after button, getting lost in the madness.

I found out more things about the pod:

It doesn't require fuel

It can turn invisible!

I was then convinced that I'll use this pod to get to Chicago.

I stepped out of my chair and when I got in front of the door, it automatically opened. This is the coolest thing ever.

I waltzed out, laughing hysterically but also feeling a sort of emptiness that only Sondra can enjoy. I sigh. I miss her. She was like a mother to me since I never actually got to be with my parents.

My reverie was interrupted by a loud, vigorous knock on the door.

"Miss! Are you going to answer this door or what?!" I hear from outside.

The manager. Oh no, not again!

I opened the door.

"What is wrong with you?!" he asks with a disgusted look on his face.

I shrug. I didn't know what he was talking about.

He sighs deeply and just walks away.

I guess that means I'm leaving whether I like it or not.

I continued packing my backpack and went outside my room.

I dropped the keys by the receptionist and paid my dues.

After that, I walked towards the back of the motel and started making the pod bigger and bigger again. Luckily, no one had witnessed what I have just done.

I stepped inside. And steered away.


	4. Chapter 4

Flying inside this pod really is much more convenient than flying with my Legacy.

The real flight would last about 11 hours but with this Loric beauty, it only took me three hours.

Then, I realized that I do not know how to land this thing at all. Sure back in the motel room I could just stop steering and it would stop but this is different. I'm like 10,000 feet above the ground.

I start looking for an instruction manual of sorts and the elders were kind enough to place it near my seat.

It said I should find a big black button and I just have to press my hand onto it while simultaneously steering the pod to land safely to the ground.

I start doing it and then the pod touchdowns into the air and off to the ground.

It creaked open and I stepped outside once more. It was weird to get out of something that wasn't even visible

As soon as I got out, I located the little button outside of it to make it go back to normal and put it back inside my Chest.

I didn't really know where to go so I stopped by a McDonalds to have some lunch. McDonalds isn't the cleanest place in the world but I was running low in cash so I didn't really have a choice.

I finished eating and went for yet another crappy motel room for me to stay in.

I found one that just charged seven bucks a night.

I checked in and plopped my backpack down the bed.

I took out my chest and started flipping through the gems again seeing how cool the pod was.

I found a stone about as big as my hand, probably a bit bigger. It was deep red in color.

I started testing out what it would do.

I tried flipping it in my hands, throwing it at a wall, but nothing really worked.

For some reason, I blew onto its surface and suddenly it started emitting a voice.

"No, you might break it! Let me handle it!"

The voice sounded female. Fierce.

I tried talking into it.

"Hello? Can anybody hear me? Is anyone there?" I screamed as loud as I could.

"A voice! Hello? Who are you?"

"Who are _you?_" I asked. These people might be Mogadorians.

"Should I tell her?" the girl asked and I heard some murmurs.

"I'm Number Six."

Wow. Another Garde. Finally!

"Wow, really? Number Six! Wait, how do I know you're not a Mogadorian?" I asked.

She sighed. "Do you remember Joseph?"

Joseph. The ship's pilot.

"Yes." I say.

"Six! It's really you! Wow! I'm Number Five." I scream excitedly.

"Five?! Five! We've been looking for you! Where are you right now?"

"In a crappy motel room in Chicago. About fifteen minutes away from the John Hancock Tower."

"That's perfect! We're in the John Hancock Tower right now! Do you want us to meet?"

"Yes! I'll be in front of the building in about ten minutes."

"Okay, cool. See you."

"Bye."

I started jumping up and down, making the bed screech in protest.

I packed my bag again and went out.

…

I got to the building. A girl with blonde hair much like mine stood there, patiently waiting.

_How do I know it's her?_

I couldn't just ask her if she was Six. It would be too weird.

I stand next to her and look her in the eyes as if to say, "It's me. Five."

She looked extremely beautiful. She had high cheekbones and gray eyes. Her body posture was strong.

She stared back at me with gray eyes.

"Who are you?" she asks.

Maybe this isn't her.

"Um, Wendy Carmichael?," I stated, but mostly asked, remembering my recent alias.

"Are you looking for somebody?" she asks.

"Uh, yeah." I say.

She looks me up and down and finally held up her hand for me to shake.

I shook it and asked, "And who are you?" I ask.

"Number Six." She says.

Finally!

"Oh, good, I knew it was you!" I exclaim.

She smiles. "Come on, I'll show you to the gang."

She goes inside and up the elevator. I follow her, of course and she takes us to the very top floor.

We step outside.

She knocks.

"Who is it?!" says a voice from the inside.

"It's me. I've got a visitor for all of you." She says sternly.

The door opens and a tall, muscular guy with long black hair looks at me up and down, a smug look plastered across his face.

They let me in and the introductions were held.

A tall girl with shoulder-length brown hair waves and says, "Hi, I'm Number Seven but I go by Marina."

A girl next to her who seems about five, maybe six says, "Hello, I'm Number Ten. You can call me Ella, if you want." She says shyly.

Wait. Number Ten? Sondra never told me about another one.

"Um, Number Ten? I thought there were only nine!"

"Originally, yes. But Ella came from a second ship that followed ours. She was just a baby back then so she's still really young." Six explains.

I slowly nod. Whoa.

"Hey, I'm Number Eight, but you can call me Naveen." A boy with dark skin comes up to me and shakes my hand.

"I'm Four." Another guy with blond hair says.

"This is Sarah." He says, gesturing towards a girl next to him.

Noticing that she doesn't have the scars on her ankles, which basically means she can wear any shoes she wants, I ask her, "Are you, uh, human?"

She nods timidly.

How did they let a human in on all of this?

"And I'm Nine, m'lady." The tall guy says.

I give all of them a genuine smile but feel sort of out of place in the penthouse.

I mean, it's extremely luxurious! The ceilings were covered in glass chandeliers; some holding candles, some light bulbs. There was a 50" flat-screen TV facing a black leather couch big enough to fit ten people.

The kitchen had an immaculate dining set-up with folded napkins and everything! There were priceless glassware everywhere and the floor was lined with a massive gray carpet.

"Whoa, you guys are…rich." I say, astounded.

Nine smirks. Apparently, this is _his _house.


	5. Chapter 5

So much has happened in the past 24 hours.

After the introductions, we all talked about our Cêpans and our journeys and our Legacies. Mostly me since, apparently, they've been together for quite a long time now and I was the only one missing.

All of their Cêpans are already dead which is just about the worst news I've heard so far.

It was kind of awkward for me to talk about Sondra. I guess Six saw that because she changed the subject.

"So what are your Legacies?" she asks.

"Um, flight, telekinesis, and elemental manipulation." I say, not exactly confident.

"You?" I ask.

"Invisibility, telekinesis, and I can also control the weather."

My eyes light up. Wow.

…

It's almost time for bed and I'm emotionally exhausted. Nine has been flirty with me but I didn't really take it as something serious. I figured he's just like that with everybody.

Out of all the Garde, I'm most fond of Ella. She is just so sweet and cute and it's fascinating to watch her transform from being a baby to being a 12-year-old. She's quite shy like me so it was tough for both of us to start a conversation.

"Do you miss your Cêpan?" she asks.

"Yes. She was like a mom to me, you know? She was always there and now she isn't."

"I understand." She replies, looking at me with big sympathetic eyes. I give her a weak smile. She's been through a lot and she's still so young so it just brings daggers to my heart to think about how she felt when her Cêpan died.

Six showed me my room which was between Nine's and hers. It was, well, _glorious._ It had navy blue walls and a flat-screen TV in front of the biggest bed I've ever seen. Compared to the motel rooms I've been staying in, this room looked like it belonged to the Queen of England in my eyes.

Six noticed my awe and she said, "Pretty cool, huh? Nine's Cêpan, Sandor, really went all out with this whole penthouse."

I nod. I haven't even gotten over with the whole living room setup and then they show me this? I don't think I can handle any more of this.

"Come on, I'll help you settle in." Six says helpfully.

We walk inside the gigantic bedroom and she helps me unpack my muddy clothes from my muddy backpack. She looks at me, a hint of sympathy on her face. She knows what it's like to be on your own.

After Six was done helping me, I changed into some more comfortable clothes, brushed my teeth, and stepped into the bed. It was the single most comfortable thing my skin has ever felt. Seriously, it was so plushy and the pillows were so soft that I couldn't wait to go to sleep. Plus, the AC was just making my experience so much better.

I had just snuggled beneath the blankets when I heard a somewhat forced knock on the door. Immediately, my senses started telling me to attack but of course I had to wait who it really was first.

"Come in." I say, nervousness flooding my voice.

Nine strode in. Phew.

"It's just me, don't worry." He says, not really that reassuring.

I nod and give him a small smile. He sits at the corner of the bed.

"You like the place?" he asks, scanning the room as if he never even set foot in it.

"Yeah, it's sweet. You guys are filthy rich."

He nods, a smug look evident in his face.

We just sit there for a while, not really saying or doing anything.

Eventually, he stands up, props himself, and goes for the door.

"Well, I'm going to sleep. Goodnight sweetie, don't let the Mogs kill ya when you're sleeping." He says, chuckling.

Wait, what did he just call me?!


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: Hey guys! Thanks soooo much for the reviews! I will write more as soon as I find out I don't have a lot of schoolwork the following day. One of you requested more 5/9 romance so I'll be sure to slip tidbits of that in! Again, thanks for all of your support! I appreciate them more than you think!**

I woke up feeling sore. I had a huge charley horse on both of my thighs and my legs were wobbly every time I tried to walk.

I trudged to the kitchen to get some painkillers and was greeted by Eight and Marina having coffee together.

"What's wrong?" Marina asks, noticing my limp.

"I'm just…exhausted…from…traveling…yesterday…" I stammer but I couldn't finish what I was saying because I suddenly collapsed into the carpet. I heard Marina and Eight scream before everything went dark.

When I woke up I was in the couch in the living room with Marina pressing a hot towel to my forehead.

I jump, startled.

"No, no, it's okay. You need rest." She says calmly.

"What happened?"

"You passed out. Did you have any dinner last night?"

I shake my head no. Guess I forgot. Again. Without Sondra reminding me, I sometimes forget to eat.

Marina left to make me some soup.

I sat there for a little while, my eyes closed, my breathing slow.

It was peaceful but I felt lonely. I never felt lonely when I was on the road but something is… different. Maybe I really do need to eat.

I wanted to help Marina because I didn't want to be a burden to them. I knew I'm not but I really did want to help so I got up from the couch and, once again, trudged to the kitchen.

"Five, you need rest." Marina says in a motherly tone. I sigh and go back to the couch. All of them have very different personalities; Marina is mature and motherly, Ella is sweet and innocent, Six is strong and powerful, Nine is cocky and flirty. It's amazing, really. I haven't talked to anyone in ages (the motel manager doesn't count) and it's been hard for me to socialize, I guess.

Marina returned about five minutes later.

"Here you go." She says with a genuine smile, handing me the bowl.

I took it from her and ate a spoonful.

"Thank you. This means more to me than you think." I say.

She nods and gives me another smile before walking away. Probably to Eight. They seem like a couple but I'm not sure.

Halfway through finishing the soup, I decided to turn on the TV. I kept the volume low, not wanting to wake up any of the others.

The show was "The Walking Dead". Sondra used to obsess over it and I didn't understand why. She says it's because it's not just about zombies (or "walkers" as they call it in the show), it's also about family and the hardships they had to go through when the Zombie Apocalypse started. I guess it's kind of like our story. The Mogadorians attacked and we had to go through a lot; we even lost several family members. But we have to go on. We have to keep fighting. For Lorien.

My little bit of reverie was interrupted by Ella sitting down on the couch next to me.

"Good Morning." I greet.

"Good Morning to you, too." She says with one of her innocent smiles.

Six, Four, and Nine eventually wake up and they all had breakfast together.

"You okay?" Six asks after finishing her plate of pancakes and cup of coffee.

"Feeling better thanks to Marina."

"Yeah, her healing Legacy really is amazing."

"Healing Legacy?" I ask, confused.

"Yeah, she can heal people."

"But she didn't use her Legacy on me. At least, I don't think so."

"Oh, she must've taken care of you personally. Like a mom. She's like that to all of us."

I guess she is.

After breakfast, Nine told me that we'll start training pretty soon.

"We gotta stay in shape, just in case the Mogs start catching up."

I nod. I'm still a little bit uncomfortable around him after what happened last night. I tell myself that he's just like that; always flirting everybody up.

He led us to what he called "The Lecture Hall". It was big and spacious, lined with metal walls. He sat down on a red velvet chair in front of a control panel not unlike the one in the space pod.

He started pressing some buttons. "Ready?" he asks.

We all nod and some machines start flying out from all corners of the walls.

I have no idea what they are. Some of them look like fans, toasters, broken computer parts, old washing machines, etc. They were on little copters so that they can glide in the air.

I took my fighting stance and got ready.

The one that looked like a toaster charged to me. I form a huge fireball with my hand and throw it, burning down the drone, and the other one behind it.

"No Legacies yet, please!" Nine shouts from his seat.

"Sorry!" I shout back and proceeded to kick and punch my way through the remaining drones.

I thought I did pretty well but when I saw how the others fought, I knew I'd have to do so much better.

Nine pushed another button. This time it was big and dark. A hundred more drones flew inside the Lecture Hall.

I took a deep breath and started kicking once again. The drones were pretty easy to defeat, yet we were still pretty much outnumbered. I killed my fair share and after we were done, Nine announced a water break.

"How come you don't have to train?" I ask him, in between breaths.

He just shrugged. "I think I'm strong enough to handle some creepy Mogs, sweetie."

I roll my eyes. "Well I can, too, but I still train to get stronger."

At that, he just shrugs again and we're back to training. Now with our Legacies. This is going to be interesting.

Nine hit another button, sending a robot-like contraption about fifteen feet high come crashing through the walls along with fifty or so drones. I have no idea where he keeps all those stuff but I was too focused in training to even form a theory of sorts.

I plant my feet and floated upwards. Next, I create another massive fireball and hurl it towards him. I also make about ten balls of air, firing them one by one.

I use my telekinesis to feel the wires inside of him. Slowly, I cut them open. It falls to the ground. Eight finishes it off by transforming into a huge bull with extremely long, sharp horns. He lunged for it, destroying its main circuitry. The others have been taking out the drones. We were finished.

"That was awesome!" I exclaim. Never have I experienced training as intense as that one!

Six smirks. "All in a day's work," she says with a pat on my back.


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: Hey! Okay, so, the awesome . . .Five. requested some other POVs! I'll try to make some, but I can't promise you that it'll be good. Thank you so much for all the support! Chapter Seven is here. Finally. **

The next few days have been a blur of intense training. Six insists that all of us should meditate too so we can practice our breathing and focus. We all did it properly, except for Nine who kept laughing when we had our eyes closed. Six seemed annoyed at him for doing so, but, really, who wouldn't be?

I could feel myself getting stronger by the day. Mogadorians wouldn't even dare come close to me if they knew what I was capable of.

I could also perfectly control my newest Legacy, elemental manipulation.

I still feel a little awkward around the others (especially Nine- he keeps calling me sweetie and even winks at me every now and then), but I've developed friendships with Six, Marina, Eight, and Ella so I guess I'm at least making some progress.

Six

It's been about two weeks with Five around, and we're all getting used to her presence. She's easy to train. Unlike Nine, she_ actually _obeys me when I tell them to meditate.

She has some pretty cool Legacies too so she's definitely a strong ally.

I'm also grateful for her taking Nine off my back. He's been waiting for Five to arrive, hoping she'd be a girl and now he's flirting her all up but Five is far from interested.

Me and the others were watching the movie 21 Jump Street when Ella suddenly screamed, crying in agony. Marina immediately rushed over.

"Ella! What's wrong?"

"Someone's talking… inside… my… mind." Ella said, out of breath

"What?! Who? Can you ask them who they are?"

"I'll..try…"

After a while, her migraine was gone but she said she could still hear him speaking inside of her mind.

"It's…. it's… a Mogadorian!"

"What?! They've hijacked Ella's brain!" Five exclaims from behind us.

"No, no, his name is, uh, Adam. He says he's with…Sam!"

With that, Eight teleports to John's room and returns with him in tow.

Ella and I pay no attention to him.

"What is he saying?" Marina asks.

"Uh…he says he's with some Chimæra!"

All of us gasp from this. There were still Chimæra here on Earth! They made it to here! With them, The Mogadorians won't stand a chance against us.

"We have to go! For Sam! Ella, can you ask him where he is?" John asks.

Ella nods and one again furrows her brow in concentration.

"At Lake Michigan." Ella replies, a hopeful smile on her face.

"Whoa, whoa, wait a second! You guys are saying we'll meet up with a Mog? No way dudes, this could be a trap." Nine says.

And for once I agree with him. "He's right. He may lead us to a whole army for Mogs."

"But we have to at least try! Sam is worth it. And plus, Chimæra are also probably there. All of us will be heavily armed. We're stronger now. We can defeat them if we have to." John says.

Five agrees. She doesn't know who Sam is like most of the Garde, but she's willing to risk it for the Chimæra.

All of us started agreeing shortly after. Even Nine, whose stubbornness gets in the way of almost everything that we do. Not to mention, his ego! I could go on and on about Nine's flaws. He thinks he's the strongest just because of Setrakus Ra's little comment.

I breathe a huge breath. _Calm down, Six. No matter how stupid he is, he's still a strong ally._

…

We all get ready to fight; strapping guns to our belts, putting on thick but comfortable clothes so we can heal properly, we even formed a plan despite the short amount of time. Ella will make herself look like a six year old and go up to Adam, telling him that she's lost. If Adam really turns out to be a good guy, she'll help him. If he does, Ella will contact us via telepathy and we'll all go in and meet him. If he turns out to be a liar like how I suspect him to be, Ella will also tell us that he is via telepathy and we'll get ready for battle.

It's risky for Ella to go alone and face a Mog even if he turns out to be good. She's brave though and bravery is a very good quality to have in a fight.

Marina

I take a big breath before we get in our fighting stances. I watch nervously as six-year-old Ella goes up to a guy with really pale skin with a bunch of animals. We all knew it was him. It couldn't be not him.

Ella starts poking him, asking for help, her eyes filled with tears. She's good.

Adam nods slightly, taking her hand. Ella starts pointing to a direction. She tells him it's where she last saw her mom. Ella's voice then comes up inside our minds.

_Okay, I think he's a nice person. We should still be careful around him but I think you guys can come out now._

We all nod despite the fact that she can't see us and slowly creep over Adam.

I glance over my shoulder and see Nine's face red with anger. It must be hard for him to stay calm, knowing a Mog is around.

The others look tense as well but we keep walking.

To be honest, he doesn't look much like a threat. He's fairly tall but isn't as muscular as the normal Mogadorian scouts we've seen so far.

Ella then points to Six, her supposed "mommy". We chose Six to be her mom because she's the most mature looking out of all the girls.

Six pretends to look for her and Ella then runs up to her, tears rolling down her cheek. She tackles her with an embrace so passionate I begin to really see how good of an actress she really is. Despite the fact that all of this is just staged, I can't help but smile.

Six "thanks" Adam for finding her "little girl". She was "worried for hours". Adam just nods and proceeds to go back to the same spot he was before.

I look at the others. _What are we supposed to do now?_

Ella must have seen the look of worry in may face because she went up to Adam and told him that her "daddy" wanted to talk to him. And her daddy is Four. I glance a look of smugness at Six, my eyebrows raised. Her face is bright red and she just glares at me but I laugh anyway.

Four comes up to him and they talk for a little while. The Loric have advanced hearing so we were able to make out what they were saying.

"Number Four?"

We saw Four nod.

"And… and… those are the Garde?" Adam asks, gesturing towards us. I still don't trust him but I do trust, Four so I just stand back even though every single instinct is telling me to run. Or at least fight.

After a while, Four comes up to with Adam and tow. Six, Nine, Five, and even Eight glare at him. He probably expected it so he just shrugged.

Ella looks at me and says telepathically _I think he's a good guy, Marina. I don't know why he became a Mogadorian traitor; we'll ask later, okay? I asked Four the same thing and he said he thinks he's good too. I still don't know how he managed to contact us, but I'm glad._ I grin at her hopefully.

"Okay, it's great that I finally met you guys but I just came here to warn you. Sam and Malcolm already know. They're over there, a couple of yards away. The Mogadorians will be here soon. They're going to attack the John Hancock Tower so you better prepare for a big fight."

Six and Nine scowl. It will be really hard for them to trust Adam, whether he really has good intentions or not.

I just sigh and get ready.

Five

Really, everything that's happened lately has been a shock. I mean, a Mogadorian that now fights with the Loric? I'm not buying it. Maybe I will if he explains why but now, we have to fight off a huge wave of Mogs that are approaching.

The Mogs really just don't care anymore. They're attacking even though there are hundreds of witnesses around us.

I prepare to fight.

They're getting closer and closer. There are about three hundred Mogs at least but with the Chimæra, we can easily defeat them.

The first wave charges and I fling them away with my telekinesis. Soon, they began to spread around us. I took the cemented ground and made it go upwards then downwards again, making about 30 Mogs disintegrate into piles of ash.

I float upwards not caring about the gasps I hear from people. I make the biggest fireball yet and hurl it towards the army. I also raised the ground once more and sent it crashing against some of the Mogs. I see Eight has transformed into a ferocious wolf, clawing and biting his way against the advancing Mogs.

Adam's eyes are shut because of concentration. He slowly puts his arms up, creating some sort of earthquake in the process. How did he do that?

I shrug the question off and begin to fight off Mogs again.

Ella and Marina have been killing their fair share of Mogs with telekinesis while Six and John are ripping through them. Nine is laughing himself off while killing the Mogs with his Legacies, his pipe-staff, and, sometimes, with his bare hands. Kind of creeped me out a little there but it's Nine. What else is new?

I settle back onto the ground and begin to create a tornado with my palms. It had just gotten big enough when I felt an arm wrap around my neck. His breath was nasty and sour. I elbow him in the stomach, coat my fist with a thick layer of heavy rocks and punch him in the face. He falls flat onto the ground then soon becomes a pile of ashes.

I turn around and sure enough, another Mog is waiting to stab me. I whirl a crashing wave over him and a few others behind him. I was extremely exhausted from using my Legacies' full power but I knew I had to keep fighting.

We even saw a few pikens and about ten krauls. The Mogs are just brutal.

I don't exactly remember what happened but I felt a huge amount of anger bubble up inside my body and soon I'm combining the four elements that I can control to form a massive tornado. It stood about twenty-five feet tall and had fire splitting out of it and waves crashing from it. Whenever it went, it sent the ground quaking too. It was harder to control but I used my telekinesis combined with my other Legacy and flung it towards the Mogs. It kills half of the army, a piken, and about four krauls. I try to fling a few with my telekinesis. My mind is throbbing and my muscles are screaming for me to stop. But I can't. Not when there's still Mogs in the way. I do the little breathing exercise Six has taught us and brace myself. Only, when I open my eyes, the Mogs were gone. Dead. All of them. The pikens, the krauls, everything! All around me are piles of ash and people screaming.

"We won?" I ask.

"Yeah!" Ella says then gives me a high-five.

I breathe a huge sigh of relief. The worst is only starting and we all know it.

We trudge back to the John Hancock Tower to pack our clothes and leave.


	8. Chapter 8

We walk inside the elevator. Strangely enough, the place is still in one piece. We know that the Mogadorians are here too. What we don't know is why they haven't blown this place up by now. The Mogadorians are a strange race.

We finally reach the top floor to be welcomed by a guy about my age, probably older, along with another man in his early to mid-forties. They were with Sarah, fighting off Mogadorian scouts.

We immediately jump in to help them. I'm still very weak so all I manage is to blandly kill a few Mogs with my telekinesis. Despite the fact that I'm in my weakest state yet, I was still greatly amazed at Ella's newest Legacy.

She was just fighting off Mogs with her telekinesis, like me, when suddenly, a thing beam of red light shoots from the tip of each of her fingers. They looked like lasers. Immediately, the Mog in front of her disintegrate into ashes. Soon, all of the Mogs have been killed and we had a little celebration for Ella.

"Whoa kid! Good job!" Nine exclaims. Ella grins proudly in return.

The little celebration was soon cut off when reality slapped us in the face; reminding us to pack our bags and go.

We all walk to our individual rooms.

I start stuffing my clothes, Chest, a notebook I always keep, and the map inside my newly-washed backpack.

After that, I walk inside the bathroom and stare at my reflection.

I didn't know why I was doing it but I kept at it for at least three minutes.

When I finally understood that I was just basically stalling, I walked towards the door. I say a little good-bye to my room before closing the door.

I plop myself down on the black leather couch beside John with Six speaking in front of us and asking us where we should go next.

"How about we go to the Philippines? I've been there before. Never seen a Mog sneaking around. I just left because I wanted to travel. It's a nice place. This time of the year, it's hotter than usual, but sunny is better than stormy." I suggested.

They all nod and think about it for a while.

"I think it's a great idea." John says.

"As far as I know, there are no bases, and nothing extraterrestrial has happened there recently. The Mogs have no reason to go there at all." He explains.

I smile at him, as if to say _thank you._

Soon, the others were agreeing and we were then driving towards the nearest airport.

All of us were quiet inside the minivan. Nine insisted on taking one of his Cêpan's expensive cars but Six argued him out of it by saying that all of us won't fit inside a cherry red Ferrari.

John was driving, with Sarah next to her. Sarah's hand was on top if his and she was looking wistful down the road. I smile. Ella was next to Sarah. The shotgun seat was big enough to hold two people.

I'm behind John's seat, Marina next to me, with Adam and Six in tow.

The other boys (or "gentlemen" as they like to call themselves") are snuggly fit inside the back.

I still don't completely trust Adam. Yeah, he helped us defeat a huge wave of Mogs but it just doesn't feel right.

"Why are you helping us?" I ask sternly.

He sighs and begins to explain.

He said he was trapped inside Number One's mind because of an experiment to know more about her and was in a coma for three years. When he saw what the Mogadorians did to Lorien in one of her memories, he had an epiphany and realized that he doesn't believe in the Mogadorian cause; that he was meant to side with the Loric. He saw Number Two and Number Three get killed right in front of his eyes but didn't do anything because he said that even if he gave them a fighting chance, they still wouldn't get away alive. And then he's been on the run ever since and found Malcolm Goode along the way, helped him rescue Sam, and now he's here.

Surprisingly, the others believed him just as quickly as I did. Even Nine.

We drove the rest of the way in silence.

…

The plane ride was decent, but it was awkward.

Sarah sat with John.

Marina sat with Eight.

Six, Ella, and Adam sat together on the three-people seats.

Sam and Malcolm sat together.

And that leaves me with Nine.

I was in the window seat, admiring the clouds and other airplanes passing by. I was bored, to say the least. I tried sleeping, reading, anything really but I was still bored. It was a 16-hour long trip.

I decided to talk to Nine a little bit.

I tap him on the shoulder. He was listening to rap music using the headphones provided by the airplane staff.

He turns to me.

"Yeah?"

"What happened to your Cêpan?" I ask. He sighs. I immediately regret asking; it seems to make him uncomfortable.

"I…I'm sorry. You don't have to answer if you don't." I say, looking away.

"Nah, it's okay. I'm over that now. He'd want me to be." He assures, patting me on the shoulder.

I nod.

"Sandor was an amazing Cêpan. The best, in my opinion but I guess I'm biased. I mean, he was really strict at times and sometimes, he was unreasonable, but all in all, we were like brothers. He was good at computers and all those techy stuff. He made all those drones and robots we use in training. So anyway, a Mog captured me and I was sent in one of their bases. Sandor went looking for me and got captured too. Every day, they would make me watch as they torture Sandor to make me tell them information about the Garde. I didn't say anything, of course. Then, when the Mogs were all wracked up in some Mog business, I ran up to Sandor and killed him. It was all I could do for him; to give him an easy death."

I just nod again. I didn't know how to respond. People don't give Nine as much credit as he deserves.

Finally, I hug him. I felt a sort of sympathy mixed with pride for what he did. He doesn't understand but hugs me back anyway.

I turn away eventually and we soon land.

We step out of the plane.

_Welcome back, _I whisper to myself as I inhale the familiar smell of this barren land.


	9. Chapter 9

We take a cab to this place called Makati City. It's the most urban place here; tall buildings scattered all over. We rent three hotel rooms at a hotel called "Pleasants".

All of us were too tired to go out and buy food so we just ordered pizza.

We spent the rest of the night lounging in front of the TV. I didn't understand much but it seems like tomorrow is going to be a fair day; not too hot, not too cold.

After dinner, I was the first one to go to bed. I was sharing a room with the girls. Adam, Sam, and Malcolm are in the other and John, Eight, and Nine are in the last one.

Nine.

I still feel weird about the hug. I think I comforted him a little bit but I just feel so weird. I don't know what I'm feeling. I don't know how to deal with the things I'm feeling. Is it awkwardness? I can't say for sure.

…

Today is my 16th birthday and also Sondra's 1st death anniversary. A lot of people don't celebrate their loved ones' deaths but I'm the type of person that thinks when people die, they always leave some sort of legacy one way or another and that we should at least think about them in some way. Sondra definitely left her legacy and I refuse to drift apart from her just because she's passed on.

I'm the first one awake out of all of the girls.

I check the other rooms. All of them are still asleep.

I eat breakfast quickly and decide to take a little morning stroll.

I also decide not to tell anyone about the two events happening today. To be nice, I left a little note on the door saying I'm just going out for a walk.

It was still early, not too early that you can't see the sun, but early enough for you to feel safe. Not that I think murderers are around. And even if they are, I'll be able to handle them.

I pass by students on their way to school, people on their way to work, men who have passed out from last night, buildings, bakeries, etc. My looks don't quite fit in here in the Philippines since I have blonde hair and green eyes but the people here in Makati are too busy to notice, which is good.

I decide to stop at a nifty bookstore called National Bookstore. It opens early in the morning and closes late at night which makes it the most convenient store around here, I think.

I browse the fiction section, recognizing a couple of names like John Green, David Levithan, J.K. Rowling, etc. Sondra always told me to read books because she said they would develop my communication skills.

After browsing, I sit on a nearby bench in between two big planters. I sigh deeply. I'm supposed to be happy right now. I'm supposed to be celebrating. Another year has passed and I'm still alive! That's something to be proud of, right?

And yet I don't feel proud at all.

I wish Sondra was here with me. She'd help me hone my Legacies even more; to tell me about the gems and stones inside my Chest, to tell me about Lorien.

But she's not.

The Mogadorians have killed her. And I will never, _ever _forgive them for that.

The familiar anger bubbles up inside me again and it was harder for me to keep it down this time but I manage to do so.

Someone sits down next to me and I realize it's Nine. Oh great.

"Hey." he says lamely.

"Hey." I reply

"What're you doing here?" he asks.

I shrug. No way am I going to tell him it's my birthday. I just don't want them to make such a big fuss over it, that's all.

"C'mon…tell me." He says, nudging me on the shoulder.

"It's nothing. Why are you here?" I ask, trying to keep my cool down even though I'm very annoyed. Not necessarily at him. Just annoyed. At everything.

"For my morning jog. And you know I won't stop bugging you until you tell me." He says with a wicked smile. He thinks I'm playing around. He doesn't think this is serious.

"Why? Why do you care?" I ask, somewhat angry now.

He doesn't stop.

"_Because _I _do _care about you, you know. And plus, you'll be no good in battle if you're all depressed and stuff." I frown at the last part. Wait, what?! Am I having feelings for _Nine?_ Of all people? No, this can't be good.

I take a huge breath. There's no point in hiding it now.

"It's my birthday today." I huff out.

"Really? Oh, I mean, Happy Birthday!" he exclaims trying to make me laugh or even smile. I don't though.

"Why are you so down then?" he asks.

Here it comes.

"Because it's also Sondra's death anniversary."

"Your Cêpan?"

I nod, tears forming in my eyes. I don't want to cry. I can't cry. I won't cry.

And yet I still do.

"Geez, Five. I'm sorry." He says, sincerity evident in his voice.

I nod and turn away. Tears were streaming down my cheeks now and I was quietly whimpering.

I wipe them away and turn back to him. "Just don't tell the others, okay? I don't want them to make such a big fuss over it."

"Okay."

We just sit there for a while until a _taho _vendor crosses by. _Taho _is basically tofu (sometimes soybeans) mixed with caramelized brown sugar syrup and little pearls resembling tapioca. I get up and buy one. The man doesn't understand English so I had to use the little Filipino I'd learned when I first came here.

I returned to the little bench and silently ate.

While eating, I didn't realize that I was also crying. I didn't want to look weak in front of a member of the Garde. But he wanted to know, and now he knew.

I finished eating and threw the cup in one of the nearby trash bins.

"I was like you when Sandor died, too." He said.

"Really? I don't think I can imagine you ever being depressed." I say.

He chuckles. "Beneath my passion for killing Mogs, I'm pretty much an emotional train wreck. Sometimes, I don't even know _how _to feel things anymore."

Once again, I didn't know what to say so I just nod.

"Thank you," I muttered.

"No problem. Thanks too. Also, we should probably get back now. The others might be worried.

He starts to get up but I pull on his arm. "Can you stay? Please? Only for a little while?" I beg. He nods, smiles at me, then sits back down.


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note: Hey guys! Thanks so much for all the support you've given me! It literally means the world to me that you guys keep reading this story! We've reached ten chapters! Hooray! Anyways, I probably won't be able to update as much as I'd like since my teachers are burdening me with projects and after-school activities. But! I will hopefully update at least twice a week. I hope you like this chapter since there's action and also some romance!**

Nine and I sit in silence; the busy workers hustling around us. We hear jeeps zipping through here and there, little kids playing a sort of game that involves a tin can and them throwing their flip-flops to turn it over, stray dogs and cats fighting each other and yet we don't react to any of them.

We just sit there, as if completely oblivious to the busyness happening all around us. I enjoy these little moments with him. It's like we're in a different space; nothing can bother us and we can do absolutely everything we want but instead, we choose to sit still. It doesn't feel awkward. It doesn't feel wrong. It just feels appropriate for some reason.

I eventually break the silence by standing up and walking away. Nine follows behind.

When we arrive, the others were having breakfast around the big round table in Sam's room. It's the biggest out of all three so we decided to make it the dining area as well.

Ella looks up when she sees us. "Where have you guys been?"

"Haven't you seen my note?" I ask her.

She shakes her head. I sigh and go to my room and get the little piece of notebook paper.

I head back and hand it to Ella.

"Oh." She says, still somewhat happy.

I sit down with them even though I've already eaten. I pour myself a cup of coffee and took a sip.

"So," Ella says, dragging on the Os

"What did you guys do?" she asks cheekily.

I shake my head. "Nothing really. Just talked and stuff."

Marina chimes in. "Did you guys finally confess your feelings for each other?"

I spit out my coffee and really, truly choked. Cliché, I know.

Eight had to whack me on the back for me to stop choking.

I regained my composure and shake my head. "What? No!"

"Oh, come on, everyone knows." Marina mocks, her eyebrows shooting up.

I laugh and shake my head but I swear I can feel my face getting redder by the second.

"How will we train?" I ask, trying to change the subject.

"Good question." John says from the other side of the table. Sarah is next to him, his arm flung over her shoulder as she takes little bites of her breakfast platter.

"We should go to some place far from civilization. Know any good ones?" Six asks me.

I shake my head.

"Places like that are farther away from the city. We'd need an airplane or at least a ship to get there. We can rent a private gym, though. I've seen a couple of ads online advertising some nearby. Do we still have a lot of Loric gems?" I ask.

Sam nods and pulls out a brown pouch from behind him and poured the contents onto the table.

There were still fifty at least. Each one is probably worth 10,000 dollars.

I nod in pleasure. "Great. I'll call the manager guy and maybe we can start later today."

I then walk out of the room and dial the number.

"Hello, how can we help you?" a voice from the other line asks. It sounded female.

"Yes, I would like to rent your private gym. How much is it per hour?" I ask, sounding more adult than ever.

"We charge daily, ma'am. The fee is 950 pesos per day. Would you like to place a reservation?"

I nod even though she can't see me.

"Yes, please."

"Okay, what time will you be here?"

"At about 10 AM."

"Okay, thank you. We'll have it ready in time." She says and I hang up.

I walk inside the decent hotel room.

"Okay, guys, we still have at least two hour 'till we have to get going. The gym is about thirty minutes max away."

They all nod and I go back to my room and change to jogging-appropriate clothes, tie my hair in a high ponytail and head out.

I jog slowly even though I can go so much faster. We don't want to make the humans suspicious.

The day is beautiful. The sun is already high up and the warmth feels good on my face. Though it's sunny, the wind is still picking up and is bowing itself onto my face, which is nice.

The city is hustling but something about it feels so quiet. I feel safe here.

I notice a little kid up on her tippy toes, trying to reach her rag doll that was up high in a tree. I walk over and pick it up for her. She smiles gratefully in return, clutching the doll closer to her chest.

We then part our ways eventually and I am once again left alone.

I think about Sondra again but this time, I feel wistful instead of sad. She would want me to remember her for our happy moments together; not for our last.

I hear footsteps behind me and tense up, thinking it's a Mogadorian. Instead, it was only Six with Marina and Ella trailing behind her.

She gives me a wave and I wave back.

"Beautiful day isn't it?"

I nod and give her a playful smile.

Marina comes over, barely breaking a sweat since she has super speed. Ella seems more exhausted but still happy and optimistic.

I was just about to say something when someone grabs me by the elbows, pushing my hands further into my back. A Mogadorian.

I give it a kick and it topples over. When I turn around, I realize we're surrounded. I didn't even bring so much as a knife. My Legacies would have to do. I hurl the one keeping Ella hostage with my telekinesis away. Six does the same to the one pinning her behind her back. Ella shoots some lasers at the Mog keeping Marina. It topples over but is still pretty much alive. I brace myself and give the Mogs a quick kick here and there. I hurl some trash cans at a few Mogs with my telekinesis.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Six giving a Mog a roundhouse kick and Marina shoving the Mog to a nearby bench therefore crashing its skull then explodes into ash within seconds.

More Mogs start coming in and I can also see the others. Ella must have communicated with them telepathically.

I don't even hesitate in using my Legacies. There aren't very many people around, just a little man who sells water and snacks. I float him to safety using my telekinesis. His face was covered in complete shock but seems grateful enough to not call the police.

I send fireball after fireball at the advancing Mogs, burning them to ashes within moments. Beside me, Six has turned invisible and is ripping through the Mogs with her telekinesis.

John has also been firing out Mogs with Sarah, Sam, and Malcolm beside him, shooting off several Mogs.

Nine is being a maniac with his pipe-staff; grinding through the army like a madman.

Eight is teleporting here and there, shooting off Mogs and hurling them away with his telekinesis.

Everything seems to run smoothly so far but I don't get my hopes up.

Adam looks at me and nods. I nod back and we then create a massive earthquake that sends Mogs flying.

There were still a hundred at least but we could easily take them.

I create another earthquake and send it rummaging through the concrete grounds; making the Mogs burst into ashes.

Then, right when we thought we won, a tall Mogadorian steps out of a vehicle. He was covered in Mogadorian tattoos and towered among us. He was at least nine feet tall. He had long black hair that was sleeked back to show his hideous face. I almost gagged. Even though I know for sure this wasn't Setrakus Ra, he was clearly some sort of high superior. Behind him, five or so huge Mogs trail.

Beside me, Adam gasps.

"What? What is it?" I ask frantically.

"That's my father. The General."

I stare in awe at the creature in front of us. He was very muscular and heavily armed with Mogadorian gadgets.

I brace myself once again, preparing for a big fight. Nine is the first one to attack, racing towards him, the pipe-staff in his hands. He leaps forward intending to stab the General but instead falls flat to the ground. The General roars with laughter. He seems to have dodged the attack.

Six then raises her arms and a huge lightning bolt strikes the General and his team. Two of the men flinch and one turns to ashes. The General, however, still stands tall and proud, clearly not hurt by the attack.

John then coats himself in a thick armor made of fire and charges at him. He knocks him over and the General grimaces. Finally, we've actually damaged him.

I hurl another fireball at him and his troop, continuing with the momentum John has built. The others follow suit with Eight turning into a beast resembling a piken and tears its way through the troop. He kills two of them and is about to attack when he was shot in the chest with a bullet. I hear Marina shriek and runs to him in panic. He changes back to his original form and Marina presses her hands to his chest, healing him.

I focus again and work with Adam to send another massive earthquake in the General's path. This time, he topples over and begins to load a Mogadorian cannon.

He fires and hits me straight in the stomach. The wound is fatal and I can feel blood pouring out of me. My vision gets blurry before I see John rush over to me. He pushes his hands on my wound and I felt something icy slither inside of me. I felt immediately better and am soon up on my feet once again. I thank him and proceed to create the biggest wave I can and throw it to the General.

He's still alive yet seems to be getting weaker and weaker. But before I can fire another wave at him to finally finish him off, he presses a stone to his chest and is immediately teleported away, leaving his men behind.

His selfishness makes me wretch but I still hurl them away with telekinesis. Ella has shot one of them in the head with her lasers and Marina is finishing off the other one but thrusting a knife to its chest. It falls to the ground then explodes into ash.

Even though we've won, I can't help but feel sad for what I've done to the surroundings.

A lot of the trees were smashed and the streets were covered with a thick layer of ash. The cars are pounding and several are broken. The grass is stained with blood and the air stinks with gunfire. We didn't seem to harm anyone, which is good but it still sickens me that the Mogs would stop at _nothing _just to hunt us down, even if it means destroying an innocent place and interfering with innocent lives.

The fact that we'll have to relocate soon doesn't help at all. How did the Mogs find us? It's been less than 24 hours since we've been here and they're already on our trail? How is that possible?!

I march back to the hotel and angrily pack my bags again for the second time this week. I'm so sick of moving from place to place! Why can't the Mogs just leave us alone?! I just want to have a permanent home. I just want to go back to Lorien.

Is that too much to ask?


	11. Chapter 11

Nine

I put our bags inside the trunk of the car we stole. It was pretty easy turning the engine on even without the keys. All those Hollywood movies Sandor made me watch all the time actually taught me something. Huh.

We're heading to the nearest airport, the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. It's named after some political guy from back when the world was in black and white.

So anyway, we decided to head back to America. To a quieter place now, Oregon. We decided to stay away from cities; they've caused us too much trouble in the past. I have never been out of the city before. Even when Sandor took me from place to place, he would always put us in a crowded area; he says it makes fitting in all the more exciting.

I'm in the driver seat, zooming past cars as a blur. It's a miracle we haven't been pulled over by the police yet.

The radio is playing some popular song in Filipino. Even though I can't understand any of it, I can tell that this is one of those songs that no one understands but still likes to listen to anyway. I start to hum along, getting in the mood of it until John stops me.

"Can you stop? Someone's trying to sleep here." He says, gesturing to Sarah, who's snoozing next to him.

I grunt. "Calm down, Johnny Boy. No one's going to be woken up by some humming."

He winces at my nickname for him. "Whatever. Just stop. Your voice is horrible, dude."

I smirk in return. Ella giggles from behind me and out of the corner of my eye, I see Five smile a little. I don't know what it is we are but I'm sure it's _something. _I mean, you wouldn't confess your innermost thoughts to just anyone, right? I smile at the thought of me and Five being together.

I block the thought as quickly as it started. She probably doesn't even like me in that way, despite the fact that she tells me stories about her Cêpan often. She probably just thinks of me as a good friend, like Six is with Marina.

I continue driving for a couple more minutes until we reach the airport. It was big and spacious, every door lined with security guards.

We step into the entrance and were immediately bombarded by security checks. I don't mind it really. It makes me feel safe. Nah, I'd feel safe even without this crap.

In a couple of minutes, we're on the plane and it's about to take-off. I'm in the passenger seat with Five sitting next to me, staring outside the plane's windows.

She's been distant lately but, really, you can never know with Five. One minute, she's being all touchy and bubbly, the next she's quiet and distant.

The Chimæra are with us all of them have transformed into ants. Even BK, much to John's chagrin.

It's a long flight, practically 20 hours more or less.

And before I know it, I'm drifting off to sleep.

I am in the ship that brought us here. I'm at least three years old; playing with a bunch of the other Garde. I slapped a blue toy truck from another boy that seems to be John and laugh victoriously. Sandor pulls me away as Henri comforts Four.

Sandor was so young. He appears to be no older than 17 years old and already looking after a prissy brat. I've never appreciated him more.

It feels weird to be feeling sentiment and even _love _for Sandor and actually telling myself all of this. Keeping your emotions bottled up inside of you is just as vicious as letting them get in your way.

I look back into the memory and see Marina and Eight painting each other and giggling uncontrollably. Even when they were toddlers, they were already lovebirds. They were one of the oldest there, probably six years old.

The youngest is a little girl, probably just two years old. My three year-old self walks up to her and say, "Hey! What number are you?"

She looks up. "What?" Her voice was timid, as if scared by me.

"Are you deaf?! I said! What! Number! Are! You!"

"I'm Number Five!" she cries out. Tears form in her eyes as her Cêpan carries her away.

Sandor had to apologize for me. Apparently, I made her cry because I yelled.

"Nine, buddy, you don't yell like that. It's not nice." He says.

"But Sandooooor!" I whine.

"It was her fault! She was all deaf!"

"No she wasn't. She was probably just intimidated by you."

"What's inti-, inti-, intmitadet?"

"Intimidated means being scared, buddy." He says with a smile.

I pout and return to our bedroom.

Another little kid was sitting on my bed, playing around with toy racing cars.

"Vroom, vroom…" he whispered to himself, smiling.

It was Four. Apparently, he thought we were best friends back then. Hilarious.

My three-year old self decided to have some fun.

"Hey! What're you doin' on my bed!?"

"Vroom?"

"No! Not vroom!"

He starts to tear up and Henri scoops him out of the room but not without glaring at me first.

My past self was tired of Henri so he decided to tell him to back off.

He tackles him. "Hey you! Why're you always making meanie faces at me?!"

Henri starts to explain himself but Sandor cuts him off.

"Sorry." He says, not really that apologetically.

"Nine, come with me! We're going to start pre-combat training soon." Sandor says again.

"Pru-cawbat! Rawr!" I say then run off with him, leaving Henri glaring at us on our way out.

I wake up with a jolt, my expression wistful.

"You okay?" Five –_the real Five- _asks.

"Uh, yeah. Just had a dream."

"About what?"

"About the ship. I think it was a memory of when we were going to Earth."

"Oh," she says, turning to me.

"Wait, were you the one who yelled a lot and made the other ones cry?"

I nod, chuckling, trying to mask my embarrassment.

She gasps. "You were the one that made me cry a lot!"

I chuckle again. "Well, you cried too easily."

"I did not!" she says, playfully slapping me on the arm.

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

We continue on like this for a while until we're shrouded in laughter. We tried to keep it quiet, not wanting to wake up the other passengers.

We quiet down for a while until I say, "Did too."

"Fine, I did! But I was, like, two years old. What did you expect me to do?" she asks rhetorically, laughter taking over her voice.

"And you were mean to everyone! I remember you throwing all the toys at the Cêpans! You even threw one at Joseph and almost got all of us killed and abandoned in the middle of the galaxy!" she exclaims, serious.

I look away in embarrassment. Sandor always told me I was hard to take care of, now I knew for sure.

I thought she was mad at me but then she starts laughing.

I smile at her genuinely and she smiles back.


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Note: Hey guys! Thanks so much for the reviews! You know how much I love them! Also, we've reached 800 views! Wow! Thanks so much! Anyway, I just read The Scar and found out that Five is a guy? Let me know if you still want me to continue this story even if it's different from the real series.**

**Here is Chapter 12. Hope you like it! Please leave reviews because I love hearing from you!**

Six

Something is different, for a change. We aren't in a hotel or even a motel. We are in an abandoned log cabin we found in the woods. It had its own little farm and the cabin was, well, huge. It could fit all ten of us including the Chimæras.

The cabin was also safe and secure, deep in the valleys.

It has a fairly strong build and must have belonged to a family of hunters since there are deer heads all over one side of a wall. There are also a lot of guns and boxes of bullets which will come in handy for us when we practice target shooting and when the actual battle begins.

I am sitting in a little chair in front of one of the windows, admiring the nice view which was mountains and grasslands all over. It was beautiful. I remember when Katarina and I stayed at a place like this. It was where our game of Shadow started and also where I got my first Legacy, which was telekinesis.

Marina plops down on the seat next to me, a blanket draped over her shoulders. She was carrying a cup of hot chocolate.

It's a cold night here in Oregon and all of us are just exhausted from the trip.

I yawn, stretching my arms over my head.

"You should sleep soon." Marina says, smiling.

"Yeah, I will. Are we sharing a room?" I ask hopefully. Marina is my best friend in total of all of this.

She shifts nervously.

"Well, um, the thing is…" She says, her eyes drifting from me to the kitchen table.

I laugh. "Don't worry, I get it. You and Eight are sharing a room."

She looks up to as if to say _Sorry._

I grin and stand up, walking towards one of the many doors in the narrow hallway.

"Good night, Mar." I say.

"Good night."

…

I stand in front of three doors, all identical.

I point my fingers to each one as I say "Eenie, meenie, miney, mo…"

I know it's a stupid way to choose but it's the only way I can choose anything within minutes.

My finger landed on the door that was right in front of me. I shrug and open it only to find Five stuffing her clothes in one of the drawers.

She turns around when she hears the door swing open.

"Oh, hi. You want to share a room?" she asks, a playful smile plastered on her face.

"Yeah. I was supposed to sleep with Marina but, you know…"

She giggles. "Yeah, she and Eight are practically inseparable. It's cute." She was smiling to herself now, closing the last of the drawers before turning to me.

I nod in agreement, also smiling.

I prop myself down the surprisingly comfortable bed, pulling the covers up to my shoulders.

"Aren't you gonna' keep you clothes away?" she asks.

I shake my head. "Nah, I'm going to worry about that tomorrow."

She smirks before lying down next to me, turning off the little lamp on one of the bedside drawers.

"Good night, Six."

"Good night."

…

Five

They always say "New day, new life." But for us Garde, a new day means more training. We have to train even harder now since we have the Chimæra and we're in that stage where we're developing our Legacies at a faster rate than usual.

I get up and notice that Six was already up.

I trudge outside, my body still feeling groggy.

I prop myself down in one of the chairs surrounding the big round table and yawn.

The sun was shining brightly through the windows, creating a nice effect for the cabin.

Ella was sat beside me, reading the morning paper.

"Good morning" I greet, despite the fact that I don't feel so good.

She smiles at me, her big brown eyes gleaming.

Marina comes up to the table, setting down a plate of pancakes and a bottle of syrup then sitting down across from us.

I grab a plate from the cupboard and get two pieces. I then greedily poured syrup all over, my mouth watering.

"Where did you guys get this stuff?" I say, in between bites.

"Eight and I went into town to buy some food earlier today. But we discovered we didn't need much. Let's just say the hunters never went hungry."

I nod, more engulfed in the food than the story. Marina is an amazing cook.

"What do you think happened to them?" Ella asks.

Marina shrugs her shoulders. "I don't know, El. Maybe they just wanted to find a better house. Maybe they went away. I can't say for sure."

Ella nods, drinking from her glass of water. But all of us knew that that wasn't the real story.

The hunters were killed. It was obvious from how they left the place. Marina was just trying to make things easier for Ella. She's been through so much already.

The others soon wake up and we prepare for training.

Today, we do one-on-ones and I'm pretty excited to fight with the other Garde since fighting Mogs can only ever always be tiring.

Nine stands proudly in front of all of us in the open field.

"Okay, first up, Sam versus Six. Legacies are allowed. Too bad for you, Sam," Nine chuckles.

Sam sighs, as if already knowing he would lose.

Six stands on one side of the field with Sam in the other.

Nine blows on his whistle, signaling the others to attack.

Sam charges, elbowing Six in the stomach. Six backs down a little bit but regains her composure after a while.

Six then sends an uppercut but Sam dodges it and gives her a kick.

She teeters slightly then sends a flying fist up to Sam's nose. His nose was bleeding, the blood trickling down his chin.

Six charged, pushing Sam off his feet.

She was on top of him, his face pleading.

Six smirks and grabs him in a headlock.

"One, two, three, I win!" she says victoriously.

Sam trudges to Marina and John for healing.

"Okay, next up, Marina and Eight!"

I smirk. This is going to be good.

Nine blows his whistle again and Eight is the first one to charge. He slams into Marina, causing her to topple a little.

Marina then lifts Eight into the air with telekinesis and hurls him about ten or so yards into the woods.

For a moment, we thought Marina would win but within seconds, Eight has teleported back and shape-shifted into some sort of beast that was a cross between a Chimæra and a piken.

He charges, stomping his gigantic paw at her stomach.

Blood gushes from Marina's mouth, spilling all over her shirt.

She wipes it off with the back of her hand and stands. She put her hand on her stomach to heal them but Eight took the chance and teleported right in front of her. Marina loses her concentration and screams. Her scream pierced through Eight who was thrown backwards and crashed into a nearby tree. His back was covered in splinters.

Marina just stood there, amazed. She had developed a new Legacy.

I cheer her on as she sends yet another piercing scream at Eight's way, breaking the tree in half and making Eight's ears bleed. Literally.

She counts to three then smiles proudly to herself.

"I win!" she exclaims triumphantly.

Eight shakes his head as if he can't believe it.

Six high-fives Marina and Ella gives her a hug before she heals Eight's bruises and eardrums. Not to mention his feelings.

Yet despite of everything, Eight seemed proud of Marina for becoming the true warrior she really is.

Nine then makes another announcement.

"Ella and Adam, front and center!"

Adam smiles to himself, as if saying _I got this._

Ella looks confident as well, shooting at Adam with her lasers right after Nine blows his whistle. She discovered that she could shoot them from her palms too, not just her fingertips.

Adam's arm sizzles but he still focuses on sending a seismic wave down at Ella's path.

The ground shakes and cracks as the force snakes its way up to Ella's place.

But it wasn't quick enough. Ella grabbed one of the pieces of driftwood from the river nearby and hurled it towards Adam. He loses his focus and the ground stops shaking. His shoulder was bruised and his shirt was dotted with blood but he didn't seem to mind.

He slams towards Ella so fast he looked like a blur.

Ella falls to the ground, clutching her leg.

Marina almost ran up to her but Eight stopped her from doing do.

Adam then sets his foot on Ella's back and counts to three.

Ella was in too much pain to attack him again. Her cheeks were wet with tears and her face was matted with blood.

After he declared his victory, Adam helped Ella up and guided her to Marina, who helpfully healed her wounds in no time.

"Johnny boy and Malcolm are up next!"

Malcolm looks up from his seat. "What?"

"Come on, you need to train too." Sam pleads.

Malcolm shakes his head but stands up anyway.

"Great, I'm going to be facing mini Pittacus." He mutters under his breath. Wait, mini Pittacus? Did he find out something in the Mog base that we don't know about?

Malcolm charges first. He moves fast for an older man.

John coated himself in flames, thus giving Malcolm a burn.

Malcolm slides backwards but he soon stands and gets a hold of John's ankle. He held him in an upside-down position while simultaneously twisting his foot.

John groaned in pain as he made Malcolm release him using telekinesis.

Malcolm managed to land an uppercut to John's chin before he regained his composure.

John lands some yards away, surprised by Malcolm's strength. Malcolm seems surprised by himself too.

We all watch in anticipation as John gets up, his face plastered with determination.

John sends a tiny fireball at Malcolm, making it dance around his head until it finally burned his foot.

Malcolm yelps in pain, clutching his foot, making him hop on one leg all over the place. John seizes the moment and gives Malcolm a gut-punch, sending him to the grass.

"Johnny wins!" Nine says, as if he was the one who won.

John heals himself then Malcolm.

I sigh, knowing it's my turn. And I'm faced against Nine. Great. Just great.

I take my stance as Eight blows the whistle, signaling for us to start.

I quickly create a mini twister and send it crashing towards Nine. It was not a big attack, just a little appetizer to get things started.

Nine stumbles back a little bit but then races towards me with super speed. I try to dodge him but fail and fall flat on my stomach. He kicks on my side and I can feel my muscles practically crumbling inside of me. I stand up and try to steady myself but he gives me a fierce kick in the chest, sending me flying.

I groan and get up again but he was right in front of me within seconds.

He was about to punch me straight in the face when I thrust my hand forward and he freezes in place. I start to swerve my hand to the left and his body follows. I can feel the blood inside his body being swished all over the place from my power. I think it's an extension of my elemental manipulation Legacy; I can control the blood in people's bodies. Wicked.

_This is better than telekinesis,_ I think as I hurl Nine into the woods. I hear some branches crashing and soon enough, he's back at the field, a sadistic smile covered his face.

He runs on the side of a think oak tree with his anti-gravity Legacy and before I realized what he was doing, he swings himself from one of the branches and lands on top of me, his foot on my neck.

His shoe left a nasty bruise and made me throw blood up all over myself. I was panting and trying to control my breathing, which is something that is very hard to do considering someone's foot is _on your throat._

I create a little passage of air in my throat using my element Legacy since I'm having trouble breathing.

Then, before I know it, he leans down and gives me a peck on the lips despite the fact that my mouth was drowning in blood.

My mind races and becomes overflowed with emotions and thoughts but I manage to react by instincts and slap him across the face, my hand as hot as a stove. Now, I didn't mean to hurt Nine as much as I did. But I was taken by surprise. He should have known better.

He stumbles back, rubbing his cheek ferociously.

I stand up and float upwards. I twist my fingers together, making him writhe in pain.

I then freeze him to his place by surrounding his ankles with hard and rough rocks.

I count to three, exasperated.

"I win!" I whoop as I trudge to Marina to heal the massive bruise on the back of my neck and other various scratches all over my body.

"So much for that kiss…" Nine muttered under his breath as he headed back to the house.

Immediately, I felt a pang of guilt wash through me even though I know that I did nothing wrong.


	13. Chapter 13

**Author's Note: Hey guys! This will probably be my last update this week since my quarterly exams are up soon and I **_**need **_**to get high scores! So anyway, thank you so much for all the support and I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

Nine

I'm pacing around in my room, anxious. It's weird for me to be nervous like this, but whatever.

I decide to go and ask John for help. He _is _sort of an expert on these things.

I get out of my room and knock into his.

He was sitting in one corner of his bed, scurrying the news from his laptop.

"Why are you still doing that? We've found Five already, bro." I say.

"I know. I'm not looking for Lorics. I'm looking for Mogadorians to know if they're close." He replies, still not looking away from his laptop screen.

I sit down beside him. "Can we talk?"

"Sure."

"It's about Five."

"What about her?"

"Dude, you _know _what happened."

He shrugs. "Yeah. And what's wrong with what you did?"

"Well, it w_as _kind of unexpected."

"And what's wrong with that? Everything you do is unexpected."

I sigh. "You're no help. I'll go talk to Eight."

As a reply, he just nods.

I sigh again and walk out of the room.

I was about to knock on Eight's door when I see him with Marina heading for the door, their fingers entangled in each other. I make gagging noises but am actually secretly jealous.

I decided to just wing it and go over to Five's room.

I knock. "Come in."

She turned her head when I stepped in.

She was sitting on her bed, hunched over her Chest, rummaging through the items. There was a bowl of cherries beside them. Guess she got hungry but was too engrossed in her little research to get some real food.

"Hey." I say lamely.

"Hey" she greets.

I plop myself down next to her awkwardly. She still hasn't looked away from her Chest.

She picks a little circular flat object and begins to examine it.

"What do you want?" she asks but she doesn't sound angry. Phew.

"I just wanted to apologize." I reply sheepishly.

"It's fine, really. I shouldn't have slapped you." She says, popping a cherry into her mouth.

"No, no, it's my fault. Sorry. I got…carried away."

She laughs. "Well."

She resumes in examining the object.

After a while, she says, "Oh my God."

"What-what is it?" I ask frantically, thinking she just saw a Mog or something.

"I just realized," she says, holding out the object in front of me.

"This is the Loric symbol for the number five."

I study it closely. It _does _look Loric.

She fidgets around with it more until it suddenly opens. It's a little small; like a compact mirror.

A piece of paper drops from the inside and Five opens it carefully.

Inside the paper was some sort of list:

_Telekinesis_

_Fight_

_Elemental Manipulation_

_Invisibility_

_Hydro-locomotion_

_Skill Swap_

_Time Manipulation_

"Wha-what is this?"She asks.

"I think it's a list of your Legacies."

Her eyes widen and suddenly, she's out the door. I easily follow her with super speed.

She dashes to my room and picks my Chest from the corner.

"Open it." She orders.

"Why?"

"Just open it!"

"Shouldn't it be my choice?"I ask, smirking.

"Just open it, Nine."

"Fine."

I press my hand over the lock until I hear a familiar clicking sound.

It opens.

She grabs it from my hand and begins to look for something.

"What are you doing?"

She grunts as a response.

"Aha!" She raises a small circular object that looks like the one she had in her Chest.

"Open it."

I fidget around with it until it opens and a piece of paper falls out.

_Telekinesis_

_Super speed_

_Super hearing_

_Anti-Gravity_

_Legacy Transferee_

_Animal Telepathy_

_Shape-Shifting_

_Seismic Manipulation_

"Awesome!" I exclaim.

"Wow, you get to shape-shift like Eight!"

"Yeah. But I'm gonna' be better."

She laughs. "It was nice of the Elders to tell us our Legacies."

Before I can reply, she's out the door again and knocking (more like banging) on Marina and Eight's door.

"What's up?" Marina asks sweetly.

"I need you guys to open your Chests."

"Why?"

"Please just do it. You'll find out if you do."

I follow them inside just to find out that Eight is sleeping.

I pull off his blanket. "Dude, wake up!"

"Wha-what?"

"Wake up. Big stuff happening."

Marina is already pressing her hands to the lock by the time Eight gets up.

Five picks out the same circular object, but with a different symbol, of course.

Marina opens it and yet another piece of paper falls out.

I lean over their shoulders to take a peek.

_Telekinesis_

_Super speed_

_Aquatic Respiration_

_Night Vision_

_Healing_

_Sound Manipulation_

_Energy Manipulation_

"What's 'Energy Manipulation'?" Marina asks.

"Guess we'll just have to wait and see. What about you, Eight?"

He hands Five a piece of paper.

"I'm not Pittacus." He says, a hint of sadness in his voice.

Marina hugs him. "So? That doesn't mean you aren't a strong fighter. You may not be Pittacus' successor, but, you are still one of the strongest in the Garde."

"Aww," Five says then shakes her head. "Sorry, ruined the moment."

Eight laughs and kisses Marina on the cheek affectionately. Marina blushes and smiles, resting her head on Eight's shoulder.

"Cut the Love Fest, guys." I say mockingly. Both of them blush and look away.

I peer over Five's shoulder to take a peek.

_Telekinesis_

_Teleportation_

_Shape-Shifting_

_Hydro-locomotion_

_Precognition_

_Pyrokinesis_

_Wave Manipulation_

He's right. Pittacus has all the Legacies.

"Y'know, Sandor used to date this chick, Devektra, I think, and she had that Legacy." I say, pointing to _Wave Manipulation._

"It's a rare one. Marina's is kinda' like that but she can only control sound. You can control both sound _and _light."

"Whoa." Eight says.

"Right, so, we're kinda' busy telling other people about their Legacies so, uh, bye!" Five says then dashes again. I follow her.

Once again, she bangs on her room's door. She's sharing it with Six, I think.

Six opens.

"Hey, what's up?" she asks nonchalantly.

"Listen, I need you to open your Chest. Nine and I just found out about a small circular object and inside it is a list of all your Legacies." Five explains.

"I don't have my Chest with me." Six replies sadly.

"What?"

"I buried it somewhere in West Virginia when the Mogs captured me."

Five pulls her into a hug and I am left there standing awkwardly.

"We'll get it back." Five says.

Six only nods. She looks so weak it's surreal.

"Now. We're going to West Virginia now." Five continues.

"What?"

"That Chest is important to you, Six. And we're going to get it."

"Well let's call the others then!" Six says, running down the hall with Five in tow.

"You know, you guys need to think this through more!" I yell, running after them.

"YOLO!" Five yells back.

I shake my head, laughing.

…

Six

We race to inform the other, excitement flowing through my veins.

"Marina! Eight! Ella! Get over here!"Five yells.

"Adam! Sam! Malcolm! John!"

All of them rush outside, most of them carrying knives or guns, preparing to fight.

"What?! Where are the Mogs?!"

I laugh. "There aren't any. We need to get to West Virginia. I need to get my Chest."

"Look, Six, I know how much this is important to you. But we can't just rush there all of a sudden. Mogs would be waiting for us for sure." John says, shaking me by the shoulders.

"But it's my Chest! My inheritance! And besides, aren't you guys just _itching _to destroy a base?" I ask, smiling.

John thinks about it for a moment and finally nods.

"Fine. You win. Let's go."

We grab about a dozen guns and half a dozen packs of ammo and put it in the back of a minivan we stole some days ago. Just to be sure.

Nine jumps in the driver's seat while Five and Ella ride shotgun.

John, Sarah, Marina, and I in the back seats and Sam, Malcolm, Adam, Eight are in the very back.

The Chimæras are also with us but have transformed into flies or butterflies for the sake of space.

The Chests are also with us because we may need to use the Xitharis and some healing stones. Plus Nine's trusty pipe-staff.

I'm so excited to finally get my Chest that I can't stop bouncing at the back while Nine gets the engine started.

Marina smiles at me. "We'll get it back, Six. I promise."

I nod and smile back at her.

"'Kay, so, it'll take us two days max to get to West Virginia. We'll stay the night at some sort of motel, train, and then head to the base to kick some Mogadorian ass." Nine announces, pulling the car out of the little space and driving away.

We all nod in anticipation.


	14. Chapter 14

**Author's Note: Managed to slip in another update! Once again, thanks for all the reviews and all the support! They always make me super happy. Special thanks to TheSpecterPlaywright for pointing out something I missed. I fixed it now! Also, the last Legacy that appears in the list is their master Legacy. Okay, so, enjoy!**

Six

Nine grinds the car into an intersection, sending us flying forward.

"Would it hurt you to be a little more careful?" I demand.

He smirks. "Thought you wanted to get your Chest as soon as possible?"

"Yeah. But being pulled over by the police for speeding won't help our cause at all."

He shrugs. "Relax."

I roll my eyes.

On second thought, going to West Virginia all of a sudden may not be my best idea ever.

The Mogs could be waiting for us _right this moment. But we're perfectly prepared for an attack. We can do this, _a part of me reasons.

"I wanna get my Chest too." Ella says from the front.

"You have a Chest? But how?" Marina asks.

Since Ella was so young- only _hours _old- when she was sent to Earth, we all figured the Elders didn't have enough time to give her a Chest.

"Papa told me they assembled a Chest when we were on the ship. It didn't have as much gems as he would've wanted but there are still a lot of precious Loric treasures in it. He said he hid it somewhere in North Carolina when we were hiding from the Mogs and headed to Spain to go to Marina." She explains.

"Ella! Why didn't you tell us this sooner, kiddo?" Nine asks.

She shrugs. "I was scared you guys would think it wasn't a worthy objective."

Five laughs from beside her. "You should've told us, Ella. Your Chest is perhaps the most important thing for you right now. Besides, West Virginia and North Carolina are pretty close together, so I bet we can go get your Chest after we get Six's."

Ella nods and smiles eagerly.

Beside me, Marina is sound asleep. Good. She'll need the rest.

Sarah is also sleeping, her head on John's shoulder. I feel a pang of jealousy wash through me but I ignore it. _Get it together, Six. John has a girlfriend._

"Let's play 20 questions." John says suddenly.

"Why?" Sam asks.

"I hardly know you guys. We're going to be spending a_ lot _of time here in this car so we might as well use it to know more about each other."

We all sort of nod at that. Sure, we know each other's first names. We know that we're all part of an intergalactic war. But other than that, nothing.

"What's your favorite color?" Eight asks.

"I like that question," I say. "It makes me feel more human."

"I really like purple." Ella says.

"Me too." Marina and I say in unison. She was woken up by the sound of Eight's voice. Both of them are just too adorable.

"Red." John says.

"And Sarah's is lavender." He answers for her.

"Black." Nine says. Typical.

The rest of them answer blue.

"What Legacy is your favorite? For you guys, what Legacy do you wish you had?" Five asks.

"I really like my telekinesis 'cause I can use it to throw stuff at Nine." I reply.

He chuckles, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel. "Watch your mouth there, sunshine."

"Ha, like you could take me on." I retort.

As a reply, he just smirks.

"I love my Lumen since I can set Mogs on fire with it." John says, making all of us chuckle.

"I'd really want to have telekinesis. It just seems so cool to control things with your mind." Sam says. Malcolm shakes his head at him. I wonder why.

"I like my flying Legacy. Just to get away." Five says, sounding wistful.

"Animal Telepathy is pretty cool. You guys wouldn't believe what I read in animals' minds. Especially you, Bernie." Nine says, winking at Bernie who's sat at Ella's lap in kitten form. BK gives Nine a growl.

"I'd love to be able to teleport. But One's Legacy really is enough for me." Adam says, still somewhat nervous as Nine glances at him.

"My healing. Because it feels like such a privilege to be able to help people." Marina says solemnly. Nine rolls his eyes. I sigh. He can be such a jerk sometimes. Actually, no, scratch that. He's a jerk practically _all the time._

"Shape-shifting. 'Cause who doesn't want to turn into a rabbit?" Eight asks rhetorically. We all laugh.

"My telepathy is good. It makes me talk to you guys secretly." Ella giggles. She's such a precious little thing.

They all ask other questions like "What would you guys do when you go back to Lorien?" and "If your pants accidentally catch on fire, would you put it out using the old-fashioned way or with your Legacies?" and a bunch of other, more random questions. We couldn't reach up to 20 questions since all of us were tired and began to fall asleep. Malcolm was now the one driving while Nine snored ferociously at the back.

I began falling asleep too, my mind slowly drifting away.

_I'm in some sort of garden, running around, my arms stretched out on my sides. I'm laughing as a woman I recognize as my grandmother races for me, also laughing herself._

_We continue on like this until we hear a loud explosion. I jump, starting to cry._

"_What's happening, Mama?" I ask, frightened._

"_They're here." She answers. Before I can ask who 'they' are, another explosion arrives and my grandma ushers me inside our house._

_She calls for my grandfather who is snoozing away in their room._

_Suddenly, there's a loud banging on the door._

"_Laira! It's Kater! Come quick!" the voice says from the other side._

_My grandma swiftly opens the door, letting the woman in. She looks like she's in her late twenties to early thirties with long brown hair and shining blue eyes._

_She picks me up carefully._

"_What's going on?" I ask._

"_Sweetie, you're going to go with Kater for a while, okay?" My grandma says._

"_But why?"_

"_She's going to teach you a lot of things and you will go on many adventures together." She explains further._

"_Okay." I say._

_Kater and I head for the door. _

"_Bye bye, Mama! We'll see each other again, right?" I ask, my eyes gleaming with hope._

_She swallows hard, her eyes flooding with tears. "I hope so."_

_Before I can ask why, Kater has started up the engine of a car._

_The last thing I saw was my grandmother crying, waving at me good-bye, before getting killed by another explosion._

I wake up with a jolt, seeing Marina's concerned expression.

"What happened? Are you okay?"

I nod, furiously wiping my tears. Apparently, while dreaming, I was also crying. I mentally curse myself for being so weak.

"I just had a dream, that's all."

"Are you sure?"

I nod again. Marina gives me a hug just as Nine starts to park the car in front of a motel.

…

John

We rent three rooms in this motel. It's fairly large, with three floors. The lobby seems decent enough and the rooms are okay. But compared to Nine's penthouse in Chicago, this is practically nothing.

I'm sharing a room with Nine and Eight which makes me feel somewhat sad. Don't get me wrong, I really like both of them (even though Nine is arrogant and sarcastic and sadistic) but I've been so used to sharing a room with Sarah that I feel so empty without her beside me.

I plop myself down on the king-sized bed, picking up my Chest.

I plow through it until I pick out a small, flat, circular object at random. It looked like one of those compact mirrors Sarah keeps in her purse but this one has the Loric symbol for the number four branded on top of it.

I examine it a little further until a piece of paper falls out.

It was some sort of list.

_Telekinesis_

_Seismic Manipulation_

_Elemental Manipulation_

_Weather Manipulation_

_Teleportation_

_Precognition_

_Lumen/Pyrokinesis_

_Animal Telepathy_

_Healing_

_Wave Manipulation_

_Sound Manipulation_

_Anti-Gravity_

_Hydro-locomotion_

_Sensior_

_Persuasion_

_Invisibility_

_Skill Swap_

_Time Manipulation_

_Energy Manipulation_

_Telepathy_

_Aquatic Respiration_

_Night Vision_

_Legacy Transference_

_Telepathy_

_Shape-shifting_

_Shield_

_Rapid Regeneration_

_Impervious Skin_

_Temperature Manipulation_

_Super Speed_

_Super Hearing_

_Laser Manipulation_

_Life-Force Manipulation_

I gasp. I'm Pittacus' successor.


	15. Chapter 15

**Author's Note: One last update for my amazing readers! Also, I encourage you guys to stay tuned 'till the end since John's master Legacy is pretty darn amazing. So, I hope you enjoy this chapter and don't forget to follow, favorite, and review!**

Six

My excitement only intensifies as Nine loads the car with our weapons and refills it with gas.

We made a short stop at Illinois to stay overnight and for gas.

"Let's go, everybody!" Nine announces, closing the back of the van.

I ride shotgun with Ella next to me, holding BK who is in beagle form.

"Nice of you to join me, sunshine."

I roll my eyes and help Ella settle in.

"Are you excited to get your Chest?" Ella asks me as the others pile in.

I nod. "Yeah, especially after all I had to go through in that base."

I remembered the way the Mogadorians left me to rot in my cell; without my Katarina. I remember how they would make me watch as they tortured Katarina before finally killing her. I remember the way the Mogadorians looked at me whenever they dropped a tray of mush at my cell. I remember the way my first Legacy came, how it came at the most perfect moment possible. I remember the frantic look on the Mogs' faces when they realized I was gone; the sirens blaring and the Mogs rushing to find me and how they never did.

I remember killing the Mog that killed my Katarina; justifying her death.

Ella gives me a sympathetic look, her big brown eyes telling me it's going to be okay. I smile at her and tell her that we'll get through this. That we'll get her Chest too.

After the others have piled inside, we set off.

It's a nine-hour drive, so, once again, we're left to cope with each other all crammed up inside a stolen minivan.

As if to break the silence, Nine punches a CD inside the car radio and turns it on full blast. The radio starts playing a fast-tempo, post-hardcore song. With our advanced hearing, the song could've broken our eardrums within seconds. I turn the volume down a couple of notches and then I start to hear the lyrics more clearly. It's a great song about being angry with all the pressure everyone is giving you and just lashing out and telling everyone to screw off. It could be good as a soundtrack when killing Mogs.

Sensing my enjoyment, Nine switches to the radio. I give him a glare but didn't try to move much since Ella is sleeping on my lap. It's a wonder how she can still sleep so peacefully at night.

I rest my head on her back and drift away again.

…

Five

John is now the one driving and is parking the car some miles away from the base. I personally have never been here so it's hard for me to relate to the anger the others have. Nonetheless, I stuff two daggers in my pockets and strap a machinegun to my back.

We all start to pile down.

John is the one to assign us the tasks.

"Okay, so. Five and Six, you check if there are any Mog soldiers guarding the doors. Use your Invisibility and Flying Legacies." I nod at Six.

"After, Nine and I go inside and kill some of the scouts. Ella and Six, you go and find Six's chest while we block off the Mogs. Use telepathy to contact us if there's any trouble. Eight and Five will also help in blocking the Mogs and Marina is in charge of healing but will fight off the scouts as well."

"Sam, Malcolm, and Adam, block the exits and make sure there's a passageway for us in the end. Be prepared to fight off advancing Mogs."

"The Chimæras will also block the exits. You guys can't come in since there's a poisonous gas inside the base that's used for killing Chimæras."

"Sarah, you stay with Marina," John continues then hands Sarah a gun. "Use this only if absolutely necessary. I don't want you to get hurt, okay?" Sarah nods.

"Are we all set?" John asks. We all nod in anticipation.

"Move out!" John announces and Six immediately grabs my hand, turning both of us invisible. We walk towards a sort of mountain and I soon become confused.

"Where's the base?" I whisper.

"It's inside the mountain." She whispers back.

I have to say, the Mogadorians did a good job in hiding their base. It's barely visible but after floating us up, Six led me to an entrance guarded by four huge scouts. They stood tall, at least six feet, with their hands tightly clutching Mogadorian swords and blasters attached to their belts. They looked intimidating, to say the least.

Six grips my arm tighter, signaling me to go back. I float us down the mountain and back at the others.

"Four on the entrance. Heavily armed and huge." Six reports back once we're settled.

"Okay, Nine, let's go." John says. Nine nods and grins excitedly before dashing to the mountain and up on the side with his anti-gravity Legacy, pulling John along by the wrist.

Six nods at us before going invisible with Ella. I momentarily see Ella clutching a gun hard with her hands.

The rest of us follow.

I grabbed Sarah and Marina and floated them up while Eight teleported the rest of them.

John and Nine are fighting off the four guards, making them busy, so we sneak in.

Marina and Sarah take position in one corner as I take my fighting stance.

Suddenly, an alarm starts blaring and I nod at the others. They nod back, prepared.

Three rows of Mogs charges, their swords gleaming in the low light of the base.

I rush up to them and begin stabbing and shooting. John and Nine have now joined us. John is burning down Mogs within seconds while Nine is maniacally stabbing and beheading Mogs that dare stand in his way with his pipe-staff.

Beside me, Eight has turned into a huge wolf and is teleporting to Mogs at an unearthly rate, biting and clawing his way through the army.

Adam is sending earthquake after earthquake, each more powerful than the last. I see Marina pressing her hands to Sam's side who was shot from a Mog cannon. Malcolm is shooting down Mogs and tackling them, instantly turning them to ashes. He is seriously stronger than the ordinary human. I make a mental note to ask him about it later.

Meanwhile, I've created a huge fireball and hurled it towards the advancing Mogs, burning them to cinders. John has coated himself in flames and is slashing through Mogs as well as shooting them.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see a Mog advancing towards Marina but she is too busy healing Eight to notice. Its sword was just centimeters away from impaling her when I rush to it, grabbing its neck and slamming it to the floor. It struggles but I'm strong enough to hold it there. I pull out my dagger and slowly whisper, "No one messes with the Garde and gets away with it." With that, I stab him straight to the heart, making him explode into ashes. The ash singed my eyes, making me momentarily blinded but I washed them off with my element Legacy.

Marina nods at me thankfully and is back on firing out Mogs. Beside her, Sarah is also shooting some of the scouts to keep them from getting nearer.

I suddenly hear a voice in my head. _Five? Five can you hear me? _I reply quickly, "_Yes, yes. Ella, is this you? What's wrong?"_

"_We need you. Six has been captured. Get Marina and come quick on the second floor. ASAP."_

"_Okay."_

With that, I fill Marina in on what I knew and we dashed upstairs. The walls were grey and blank. The halls were dimly lit and some Mogs were waiting for us. Marina hurls them away with telekinesis as I turn into another room where Ella led me to.

I immediately see Ella fighting off Mogs with her lasers. I rush in to help her and envelop them in the ground.

"Are you okay?! Where's Six?!" Marina asks frantically.

"I'm okay! Six has been captured but I managed to slip away. She's been taken away in one of the cells. Let's go!"

We rush down the hall with Ella leading.

Six

I try to struggle free but the two Mogs holding me are too strong. They've injected something in my arm that made my Legacies disappear and made me progressively weaker. I was so close in getting my Chest. Just a door away when a Mog captured me.

"Where are you taking me?!"

"Let's just say your old cell missed you." Says one with a disgusting smirk plastered across his face.

We reach some sort of hall and I immediately recognize one of the rooms as the room that they used to torture Katarina.

They throw me inside it and slammed the doors shut before clicking on a button, activating a force field. _Great. Just great._

I try to find some sort of weapon and I find a long piece of wood. I use it to tap the fore field and was greatly amused to find out that inanimate objects don't affect it.

I try to tap the button to make the force field disappear but it's too far away for me to reach.

Next, I try to communicate with Ella.

_Ella, Ella, where are you?_

_Six! I'm with Five and Marina! We're going to rescue you! Where are you? We're on the second floor, Hallway C._

_I'm in one of the cells in Hallway F._

_Okay, we're going to be there in five. Stay safe, Six!_

_You too!_

And then our communication breaks.

I try to sharpen my little wooden weapon by rubbing it against the concrete walls. It makes a loud, piercing sound and one of the soldiers comes in. He disables the force field and comes in then slaps me hard across the face.

"You stay quiet!" he shouts, his sour breath washing all over my face.

I quickly grab my stick and stab him with it. He falls to the ground, soon disintegrating into ashes.

"Stupid Mog," I mutter before dashing out.

The syringe left a nasty mark on my arm and whatever medicine they injected me has taken its toll. I stumble a little bit but dash to Hallway C nonetheless.

I plow through some of the Mogs blocking the way with my stick and I see Ella, Five, and Marina fight some Mogs a little farther away from where I'm at.

After all of them have been turned to ashes, I rush to the three girls.

"Ella! Marina! Five!" I shout.

They all turn. "Six!"

Ella is the first one to hug me, wrapping her arms around my waist. I hug her back, happy to be reunited with them.

Marina presses down her hands to the side of my face where a Mog slapped it and started healing it.

"Where's your Chest?" Five asks.

"Down in that room." I say, pointing.

We sprint to the room and fidget around with the doorknob until Five just kicks it down.

Several Mog scientists are pouring vials on my Chest until I kick them hard in the shins, making them stumble back, both from the pain and the shock.

I quickly grab my Chest and sprint out. _They must've found my hidden spot and dug it out._

We dash downstairs and were faced by a fighting frenzy.

Nine is plowing though the Mogs merrily with his bare hands. Eight is wolfing them down with his fangs. Marina has immediately created a telekinetic force field around Sarah, Sam, Malcolm, Adam, and herself while she healed them.

I jump into action and shoot off the Mogs with a gun Malcolm handed to me.

Five is in another corner, creating tornadoes the size of buildings and hurling them towards the Mogs. Her force is making the base crumble and this whole place will be rubble in no time.

John dashes next to me and tells me we need to go. I nod and tell Ella the same thing. She then tells all of the others.

We pile outside and rush inside the van, relieved and extremely exhausted at the same time.

I'm in the shotgun seat again with Ella next to me. Malcolm is driving.

Before leaving, John sets the base on fire with his Lumen and gets inside with Sarah in tow. The Chimæras are badly bruised but all seem to be safe.

We drove the rest of the way in silence after hearing the base explode.

After a while, Nine asks.

"Wait, dudes, where's Five?"

All of us suddenly gasp.

"No!" Nine exclaims looking back as Malcolm continued driving.


	16. Chapter 16

**Author's Note: Hey guys! Once again, thanks so much for the support! Exam Week is now over so I have some time to update. Also, if you're wondering, the song Six was enjoying in the car was "King for a Day" by Pierce The Veil and Kellin Quinn. You should check it out. Anyway, here is chapter 16! Hope you like it!**

Nine

No. No. She can't be gone.

"Malcolm, stop the car!" I yell at the top of my lungs but he doesn't budge.

"Nine, I promise we'll look for her tomorrow. She hasn't died yet; we would've had a scar." John says.

"But she's dying!" I whine. "You guys are just gonna' leave her in a flaming heap of rubble?!"

"Nine, calm down." Eight says.

"How can you guys say that when a member of the Garde is out there and dying?!"

"We know that. But we're no use for her right now. We're exhausted and we need rest. We'll look for her first thing tomorrow, okay?" Eight asks. I nod, still annoyed despite the fact that they're probably right. Knowing Five though, she can survive. I really hope so.

I lean my head on the window and start to drift away, still worried but giving in to the peacefulness of sleep.

Five

My vision is blurry and I can feel fresh blood rushing down my face. My body aches like crazy and my limbs are useless. I also have a pretty bad burn on my left arm.

Moments ago, a huge piece of rubble landed on top of me. I tried to divert it away with telekinesis but I was too late. It fell on my back and I heard some of my bones crack, sending shocks of pain to my spinal cord.

Soon, the building was on fire and I used up all my energy in making some sort of shield made of water to protect me. I still got a pretty bad burn though.

I tried everything; squirming free, wiggling out, even communicating with Ella. But I'm in too much pain to do anything.

_This is it, _I think. _This is the end. One of the last survivors of a dying race dies because of a piece of rubble._

I would have cried if I had the energy to. But instead, I just stared off into the distance where there are piles and piles of ash and crushed Mogadorian weapons. I think about the Garde, how much we've all worked so hard just to reunite and now they're going to lose another member; have another scar. I think about Nine and how I now know my feelings for him. I make a mental note to tell him if a miracle happens and I survive. I think about Sondra, about everything she sacrificed just to make me live. But now I won't. I'll die here, that I'm sure of.

My vision starts to darken and I finally just give up.

Suddenly, I feel someone carrying me. My instincts are telling me to run; it could be a Mogadorian. But still I do nothing. I'm in too much pain. I let the being carry me and drift away, either it's to the afterlife, or to sleep.

…

I wake up with the feeling of water being pushed inside me. I immediately think I'm drowning and fly my eyes open.

Surprised to be actually alive, I look around, expecting to be in a Mog base, surrounded by dozens of disgusting creatures. Or at least in some sort of body of water.

Yet instead of a Mogadorian, or being surrounded by water, I see an old man. He has dark skin and soulful eyes with wrinkles around the corners. His head is covered with a massive amount of grey hair and also has a beard of the same color. He's smiling down at me and I realize I'm in some sort of hut made from bamboo shootings. I'm lying down on a bed that's also made from bamboo and some linen sheets. It's surprisingly comfortable.

"You're awake. Wonderful." The man says. He spoke with a thick Indian accent.

"Who are you? What am I doing here?" I ask, prepared to run even though my body is still pretty painful.

He smiles again and replies, "I am Devdan. I rescued you from the burning building. You are here in my hut, resting."

"How did you find me?"

"I was taking a stroll when I found you." That's weird. The base is pretty concealed—even if it w_as _burning. Plus, who takes strolls around mountains?

I try to get up but he gently pushes me back down, handing me a bowl of soup.

"Eat." He says. I do as I am told but only because I'm really hungry. _When I fully recover, I'll get out of here. ASAP._

I finish eating after a moment and he hands me a glass of water. I gulp it all down.

"Thank you." I finally say.

He nods and proceeds to take out a towel drenched in hot water.

He hands it to me. "Rub this all over your aching body parts. It will make the pain heal faster than usual."

I do so and feel immediately relieved.

"Why did you rescue me?" I ask.

"Well I couldn't just leave you like that, no?" he says, grinning.

I nod my thanks once again and start sitting up. I wince a little bit but manage to sit upright.

…

I've been here for several days now. I'm almost fully recovered except for the burn on my arm. It takes a long time to heal, apparently.

Sometimes, I've wondered if the others are even _looking _for me. I mean, I have no idea _where _I am but they could have used that communication device in our Chests. Or at least make Ella communicate with me or something.

I sigh then pick up another piece of wood. I've been helping Devdan a lot more now, collecting wood for the fire he'll make for our lunch. I'm almost completely sure he isn't a Mog though I still won't let my guard down.

I snap a branch from a nearby tree when it suddenly disappeared. Just gone. I can still feel it though but it's gone. I question my sanity.

I blink my eyes and then it's there again.

Greatly confused, I look around. _Maybe the Mogs are toying with me, _I think. I was the only one there, besides some caterpillars and Robins.

I focus on my hand and the twig again and they both turn invisible. A new Legacy!

I flicker it on and off for some time, having fun until Devdan calls for me.

"Coming!" I shout, stumbling forward a little bit as I pick up the last pieces of wood.

When I got to the little hut and put down the branches, Devdan gasped.

"What? What is it?" I ask frantically.

"Your arm." He says calmly. I look at my arm and mentally curse myself for forgetting to make it visible again.

"I..I.." I stammer, not sure how to explain.

Devdan just smiles solemnly like he always does and nods. "Do not worry. I know who you are. _What _you are. You have a new Legacy."

Even more confused than before, I start making up some sort of excuse in my head. "What are you talking about?"

"I told you. You have a new Legacy; the Legacy of invisibility."

"Who _are _you?" I ask, prepared to fight.

"Devdan." He answers cheekily.

"Who _is _Devdan?"

He has a smug look in his face before he answers, "Me."

I roll my eyes but chuckle good-naturedly.

"Come on and help me set up the fire. I'll help you develop your Legacy after lunch."

My suspicions are still high but I figured some training wouldn't hurt.

…

After a hearty meal of fish and various greens, we begin training.

"Okay, just close your eyes and concentrate with your arm."

I do so and feel my molecules being reconstructed inside of me. When I open my eyes, my whole left arm was completely invisible. I concentrate again and make it visible once more.

It isn't such a hard Legacy to master, but it's _extremely _helpful.

I smile to myself as I start practicing on different parts of my body.

Ella

It's my fault. I forgot to communicate with Five. I thought for sure that I did but I didn't. I failed everyone.

Tears start to flood my eyes as Nine and Six pace around the room. We're back in the cabin after staying at a motel in West Virginia. We couldn't find her. Not even her body. All that was left was the base, now nothing but an enormous pile of crushed cement.

Marina keeps telling me that it's not my fault, that as long as we don't get another scar, Five is okay. But despite her comforting, I still feel extremely guilty.

"We have to find her." Nine announces.

Six rolls her eyes at him. "That's what we're trying to do, stupid."

Nine ignores her comment and resumes in pacing around.

"Ella can you try to communicate with her again?" Six pleads. I nod and concentrate, desperate to hear Five's familiar voice in my head.

_Five, Five can you hear me? It's Ella. _Nothing.

I try again. _Five please if you can hear me right now, send me some sort of signal. We'll find you. _Again, nothing.

I shake my head. Six sighs and starts going through John's Chest.

She pulls out a velvet pouch and hands it to John. He pours the contents on his hand.

There were about eight or so orbs. He tossed them in the air and they instantly come to life. He shines his Lumen on one of the orbs and it glows suddenly. The surface was green and blue all over, with a lot of oranges and purples here and there.

I jump from my seat, instantly feeling better.

"What is it?" I ask, my eyes wide.

"Lorien." John says.

He shuts his Lumen off and the lush surface quickly drifts away, making the orb turn back to its original gray and deserted form.

John held up another orb. It was Earth. A small red dot appeared somewhere in India.

I point to it and ask, "What's that?"

"That's where Five is. I wonder how she ended up in India…"

"Great. Now we know where she is." Nine says. "Let's go to India then."

The others ignore him, listening intently to the orb. It emitted a noise, almost a voice. _Five's _voice. I jump in and start to listen too.

"Am I doing it correctly?" Five asks before the connection breaks.

Nine frowns, shoving his pipe-staff inside his backpack.

"Well? What are you guys waiting for? Let's go to India and get Five!"

But before anyone could day anything, we were interrupted by a loud explosion.


	17. Chapter 17

**Author's Note: Hey! As always, thanks so much for reading, reviewing, and just supporting. It really makes me feel like a semi-decent writer, ha ha. Also, sorry for the cliffhangers! But I need them to keep you guys tuned to my story *grins evilly*. So anyway, here is Chapter 17! Hope you like it! **

Six

The loud blast throws us off our feet as dozens of Mogadorian soldiers pile inside our little home.

I jump back into action and grab a dagger from a drawer. I run towards the army, plunging it into an incoming soldier.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see the others scrambling to their feet and fighting off the Mogs as well. Marina is stabbing and shooting with all her might, her face matted with ash. John has coated his entire body in flames, running over Mogs and instantly turning them to ashes. Eight has transformed into some sort of eagle with gigantic horns, resembling those of an ox. Nine is beheading the army with his pipe-staff, grinning to himself. Ella is shooting blasts of light from her hands.

Sam and Malcolm are fighting alongside each other, shooting off as many Mogs as their guns could handle. Adam has run outside before creating earthquake after earthquake. He has also made quite a few tsunamis, using the nearby lake to his advantage.

I've turned invisible for the moment, slashing Mogs and turning them to ash within seconds. I've also created a storm that shocks the Mogs with vicious lightning strikes.

I'm in my element.

The Mogs keep piling in from vans, all of them heavily armed and vicious.

I knee one in the gut, sending him stumbling backwards. I finish him off with a dagger to the head.

My clothes are covered with a thick layer of ash and blood but I don't dare to stop.

The cabin is collapsing, unable to hold the force that's brewing inside of it; its wooden frame crumbling to pieces around us.

A Mog races towards John but Malcolm shoots it before it gets too close.

…

After the seemingly endless wave of Mogs finally disappear, we go over to what's left of the cabin.

Pieces of wood lie all around us, our clothes buried in there somewhere, along with our Chests.

We manage to get a hold of them but the clothes are goners.

"Guess we'll just have to buy new ones." I say, shaking my head and putting my hands on my hips.

Sam stands beside me, squinting in the morning sun.

"That's okay, Six. We have money. Might as well use it."

I smile at him and shove his shoulder good-naturedly. He fake-winces and I laugh again, walking over to the car.

"Is everything good to go?" I ask Malcolm, who's closing the back of our minivan.

"Yep." He replies and gets in the driver's seat.

I climb behind him with my Chest in my arms. I'm not going to lose it again after what happened last time. Sam rides shotgun along with Ella, who's carrying BK in her arms as usual.

The others soon climb in. Marina sits next to me, her hand entangled in Eight's. I raise my eyebrow at that playfully, causing Marina to blush madly while Eight simply grins.

Ella giggles innocently from the front seat as Nine climbs in. John would rather sit in the back instead of being separated from his precious little Sarah.

Malcolm looks somewhat nervous as he revs the engine and prepares to drive off.

I open up my Chest and dig inside it. I haven't really had time to open it because of what happened to Five and whatnot. I really miss her despite the fact that we've only been friends for a short while.

After a while, Malcolm clears his throat. "Okay guys, I, uh, have something to tell you."

We all tense up at his remark, waiting nervously for his announcement.

"I'm Loric." He says. With that, we all gasp.

"What?!" Sam demands, sounding somewhat angry.

Malcolm sighs, expecting that response.

"You see, when I was still on Lorien, I made frequent trips to Earth, for traveling reasons. I fell in love with a human –Sam's mother-, and refused to leave her. So I came to Earth and had a family with her. The other Lorics didn't approve of this except for Henri. He knew what I was and accepted that. He hired me as a Greeter since I've been living here on Earth far longer than any Loric. He told the others that I was human and somehow convinced them. I was supposed to be a Garde, even had a couple of Legacies but I never used them."

We all take in this new information.

"So… I'm Loric?" Sam asks.

"In a way, yes. Well, half-human and half-Loric." Malcolm explains.

"What were your Legacies?" Ella pipes up.

Malcolm frowns before answering. "I used to have water manipulation, telekinesis, intangibility, but the Mogs took them."

"What?!" I gasp.

"Yep. They found a way to take away Legacies. When the captured me, they thought I was just a Greeter, but, in truth, I was also a Garde. They used my Legacies to create way more powerful weapons and machines. _For Mogadorian progress, _they said." As he says this, Adam is shaking his head, looking more ashamed of his race than ever.

We were all taken aback by this. Our Legacies… our only defense against Mogs… can also be taken away from us?

"Where were you when the Mogadorians invaded Lorien?" John asks.

Malcolm furrows his brow, racking his brain for an answer. His memory is still pretty fuzzy so it's basically a miracle that he even remembered this stuff.

"I was here. On Earth. I didn't even know that Lorien was attacked until I was contacted by Henri." He says, looking ashamed.

Our minds slowly process this new information as Malcolm turns to an intersection, heading for the nearest airport.

…

Five

"Good. You're doing well." Devdan remarks from beside me.

I smile at his comment and flicker my torso on and off.

He puts his hand on my shoulder. "Now, now. Training is done for the day. Go help me hunt deer for tomorrow."

I nod and grab a dagger then head for the woods.

Now that he knows I'm Loric, I'll be able to use my Legacies for hunting.

"Hey Devdan." I say as we walk around.

"Hmm?"

"How did you know that I'm Loric?"

He shakes his head, laughing. "That is for you to find out," he says before dashing further into the forest. I roll my eyes but go after him anyway. He's such a weird old man.

I spot a deer a few yards away. It's not that big and I feel kind of sorry for it but survival is survival.

"Devdan! I found one!" I yell.

"Go shoot it then!"

I grunt, forgetting to bring a gun.

_Oh well, _I think as I trap the deer on the ground by surrounding rocks at its ankles. It immediately starts squirming as I make the rocks tighter and tighter, wrapping them around its legs and soon, its torso.

_I'm sorry, _I whisper before finishing it off.

I remove the layer of rocks and carry the deer back at our campsite.

Devdan still wasn't there so I decided to practice with my Legacy more.

I turned the deer invisible and dragged it along the fire.

I made the fire dimmer and made my whole body invisible. It was sort of hard to do it since even the slightest bit of outside influence can make me visible again.

I suddenly hear footsteps and blast back to reality.

"Where is the deer?" Devdan asks, a hare slung over his shoulder, its stomach clotted with dried blood.

I slowly make the deer visible again, receiving applause from Devdan.

"You are a fast learner." He says, setting the hare down and removing its guts.

He sticks some meat into a wooden branch and roasts it over the fire.

…

After we finish eating dinner, we go inside the hut and prepare for bed.

He lets me sleep on the bed because of my injuries.

I lock the door using some wood and settle in. I place a dagger beside me. Just in case.

I blow off the candle. "Good night, Devdan," I say but he's already snoring.

…

Nine

We're in a plane traveling to India.

It's a 14-hour flight so, once again, we're stuck in a small space with nothing to do.

I groan. I want nothing more than have Five next to me right now, to hear her corny jokes about her Cêpan. _But noooo, _I think. _She's stuck somewhere in India._

I blame Johnny.

"What's wrong?" Ella, who's sitting beside me, asks.

I shake my head. "Nothin' much, kid. Just thinking about stuff, that's all."

"What kind of stuff?" she asks, her big brown eyes gleaming with curiosity.

"Stuff about Five. About war. About… Lorien."

She looks at me sympathetically. "I miss her too. But we're going to find her. I know it."

I smile at her optimism and slowly drift to sleep.

…

I was woken up by someone shaking me by the shoulders.

"Hmm?" I ask groggily.

"We're here, Nin—I mean _Stanley._" Ella says.

"Don't call me Stanley." I reply before standing up and getting my backpack from the compartment.

I trudge outside with Ella in tow.

The scenery was beautiful. The people are dressed in colorful native clothes and there are food carts selling delicious-smelling food around every corner. Various kinds of trees surround the airport as we make our way to the cars parked at one side of the landing area.


	18. Chapter 18

**Author's Note: Hey guys! Thanks a lot for all of the support you've given me. Classes were suspended because of the intense rain that's been happening. So stay safe.**

**Anyway, here's Chapter 18! Enjoy!**

I was woken up in the worst way possible: with a blaster pressed against my head.

Mogadorians.

They're here.

I jump into action, grabbing my dagger and stabbing the nearest one with it. It explodes into ash. Another one grabs me by the neck and pushes me against the wall, a sword gleaming in his hands. I make my whole body hot and he throws his hand away, giving me the chance to attack. I use my blood control and hurl him into the woods. More keep piling inside the little hut, all prepared to kill me. Devdan is nowhere to be found.

I rush outside and fly up in the night sky. There are at least a hundred Mogs surrounding the area but I know I've gotten much stronger than the last time.

I create fireball after fireball and hurl them against the Mogs. Each one kills about seven of them. I hurl a couple of them in the woods with telekinesis before making a twister.

The twister kills thirty or so Mogs. Fifty more.

I hurl another huge fireball and it kills about half of them. I slowly land in an area close to the hut and resume in killing Mogs.

Before I know it, a Mog has blasted me in the hip, causing me to topple backwards. I clutch the wound and try to apply pressure into it while simultaneously hurling Mogs away with telekinesis. My whole body feels like fainting from exhaustion and from the shot.

I take a deep breath and control a Mog to come near me and give me his blaster. Using it, I kill the remaining ones.

Now I just sat there, clutching my side. I slowly crawl to the hut and used some bandages to cover up my wound. I also drained the blood and changed into cleaner clothes.

I knew I needed to get away but I don't know where I'll go. I start scanning the map Devdan had in one of the drawers. He told me we were in a place called Naraina which is really close to New Delhi, the capital of India. I figured I'd go there and stay at a motel or something then figure out a way to reunite with the Garde.

I find Devdan's wallet and get five hundred Indian rupees. I felt a little guilty for taking it but a Loric's got to do what a Loric's got to do.

It's a thirty-minute drive to get to Naraina but with my flying Legacy, it only takes me fifteen minutes.

The bandages covering my wounds keep coming off and it hurts like crazy every time they do but I manage.

I land in some alley and walk towards the nearest motel, still clutching my side.

…

Sam

We've settled in a nice hotel in New Delhi. As usual, I'm staying with my dad and Adam in one of the rooms. Adam is still taking a shower so there's some time for me to have a talk with dad.

He's sitting on the bed, reading some book about extraterrestrial creatures. I smile. Some things never change.

I sit down next to him. He notices the look on my face and slams his book shut.

"How?" I ask.

"I already told you. I was a Loric who went to Earth and settled down with Marissa. You were born and the rest was history."

"But how did they get your Legacies?"

He sighs and rubs his hands over his face, exasperated.

"When they caught me… they injected a blue fluid inside of me… which made me…weaker." He says, pausing in between the words, searching his memory. I know I'm exhausting him but he can't blame me for these questions, right?

"I was unconscious for a little while and when I woke up, they stuck another needle—one that was more Mogadorian-looking—in my arm and extracted some tissue from me. They also got more blood and other substances from me." He continues.

I frown, angry for what the Mogadorians did to him. They _experimented _on him.

He nods at my look then resumes his explanation. "They mixed them all together and some green-colored goo was the result. They used it to make more bullets, coat shields, and fuel other bizarre weaponry. The next day, I tried to use my Legacies to get out but was extremely surprised to see that I didn't have them anymore."

I take in this information slowly, nodding my head.

After a while, I asked, "Was I supposed to have any Legacies?"

He shakes his head slowly. "When you were born, I swore to never go back to Lorien again since I wanted to focus on you. To focus on our family. And, even if I _did _go back to Lorien and took you with me, you wouldn't have been a Garde. Or even a Cêpan. You were still partly human."

I frown again. I actually hoped that I could have had some Legacies. That maybe I was just a late bloomer or something.

Seeing my expression, he smiles.

"But," he begins, pausing for effect.

I perk up immediately. "But what?! But what?!"

He chuckles. "Still the excited little kid, I see. Sam, you're still partly Loric. You're stronger than the ordinary human. Not as strong as the ordinary Loric but quite strong indeed."

I smile and lie down in the bed next to him, relieved that he's finally here. With me.

…

Nine

I'm sick of all the waiting.

John says we'll have to wait until _tomorrow _to find Five. Tomorrow!

_Screw it, _I think as I pack my backpack with some clothes. I've already decided I'm going to find her. Tonight. Screw what everybody thinks.

The last time we've checked, Five is in some place called Naraina, which is really close to where w_e _are. Call it luck, call it destiny, call it anything you want. All I know is that I'm heading out.

I finish packing and sling my bag over my shoulder. I head for the door. Luckily, John is in the bathroom and Eight is over at Marina's room so I don't have anyone to stop me.

I close the door behind me, whistling to myself as I head out in the cool night air.

…

Now, I have no idea where or how to find her but I figured she's in some motel or hotel or something like that so I begin to walk around, looking for one.

I check in on a decent-looking motel and ask the receptionist if someone had checked in recently named Wendy Carmichael, figuring she'd use her recent alias.

Suddenly, luck takes over and the receptionist nods. I grin and rub my hands together as he calls her up to get down.

Moments later, a cheerful-looking girl rushes down the stairs. She wasn't Five though.

"That's not her," I tell the receptionist. "Thanks anyway."

And with that I'm out again.

I go to at least three more motels before this one. It's pretty beat-up and there were smokers surrounding the area. I shrug them off and go inside.

"Did anyone named Wendy Carmichael check in here recently?" I ask yet a_nother _receptionist, leaning forwards.

He checks a blue notebook and nods. I tell him to call for her and he nods again.

The rusty elevator creaks open after a while and a grumpy-looking blonde steps out.

I rush to her immediately. "Five?" I ask, not even hesitating.

Her eyes light up when she sees me and tackles me with a bone-crushing hug.

"Is this really you?" she asks, her voice soft and vulnerable.

I nod. She pulls away and I frown to myself, missing her already.

I notice she has tears running down her cheeks. "Are you with the others?"

I nod again and she says, "Good. Good. Great." After that, she pays the receptionist and heads out. Her cheeks are still damp with tears but she's smiling.

"I've missed you so much." I say after a while.

She nods. "I've missed you too. A lot. All of you." Even in the darkness, I can see her cheeks turn to a light shade of pink.

"Can we sit down for a while?" She asks. I nod and find a bench.

She clutches her side and winces.

"What? What's happening?"

"I got shot."

"What?!" I exclaim, standing up.

"We have to get you to Marina!" I say, helping her stand up.

She nods and we walk slowly back to the motel.

"Thank you." She mutters.

"No problem. You know I'd do anything for you, Five." I say, smirking.

She laughs despite her wound. "Why is it that people value someone more after they thought they've lost them?"


	19. Chapter 19

**Author's Note: Hiya! Thanks so much for the support! Keep them coming because I love them. A lot. Also, I'm inviting all of you to read my newest Lorien Legacies fic entitled "Galaxy Days". You guys should read it because it's adorable, okay? Okay.**

**This chapter is dedicated to I wish I could be Number Five, Mysteryfanatic01, TheSpecterPlaywright, and ArcticBlue for all of the continued support! You guys should read their stories to because all of them are **_**really good; **_**much better than mine. **

**Now here's Chapter 19! Woo!**

**P.S. We've reached over 2000 views! Amazing! Thanks **_**so much **_**guys!**

Six

I was about to go scream my head off and look for Nine when I heard a knock on the door.

"Who is it?" I ask, trying to remain calm. It could be Mogs so I prepare myself and grab a gun from a drawer.

"It's Nine." The voice says.

I open it and said, "Nine! Do you know how worried we all were?! You can't just take off in the middle of the night!"

He merely nods and walks in and that's when I saw someone gripping Nine's shoulder for support.

I didn't bother looking to find out who it was and shot it straight in the chest.

The person stumbles backwards and falls to the ground, clutching their chest. And that's when I realize that the person I just shot is Five.

…

Nine slaps me across the face, yelling profanities at me as John yells for Marina from the other room. She was sleeping and I felt even worse for bothering her.

"I'm so sorry." I plead, practically crying now. Nine snorts, raising his hand to slap me again but I dodge. I know I deserved it—I _shot _a _Garde, _for crying out loud—but my instincts kicked in.

Nine snorts and sits down on a chair, glaring at me.

John soon arrives with Marina trailing and she gets to work.

She desperately presses her hands on the wound. Five is gasping and I am apologizing for what seems to be the millionth time. She's spitting out blood and Marina is practically crying, forcing her hands to do their magic.

Finally, a bluish glow comes from Marina's hands and it transfers to Five's body. Her heart starts beating at an unworldly rate and her eyes are flown open. Her breathing slowly goes back to normal. She's safe. Marina saved her.

I hug Marina and thank her furiously. Marina nods and exits the room, exhausted.

Five slowly sits up and I apologize to her again. Five nods and smiles at me.

"I'm alive, aren't I? So no need to apologize."

I nod, tears pooling in my eyes. I jump to hug her and she hugs me back.

"I missed you so much." She says, practically crying too.

I nod again. "Me too."

Beside me, Nine shuffles awake and rushes over to Five.

He hugs her tight and, to my surprise, gives her a light kiss on the lips.

I chuckle. "Am I missing something here?"

Nine shrugs. He turns to Five and says, "You're alive."

Five nods and says, "Yeah, you slept through my almost-death."

We all laugh and Five heads to the girls' room to get some rest.

…

Devdan

I am back on Lorien. My duty to help Number Five is now over and I know I have trained her well.

Now that they know who Pittacus' successor will be, the stakes have just been raised by a hundred notches.

Soon, I will be able to reveal myself to all of them and help them to end this war once and for all.

…

Ella

I'm snoozing away in my room when I hear a knock on the door. I try to find Marina immediately but she isn't there. My heart starts pumping as I wake Sarah up.

She groans. "What is it, Ella?"

"Someone's knocking on the door and I'm scared." I admit.

"Maybe it's just one of the others." She replies sleepily.

"If it's one of the others, they wouldn't have knocked."

Sarah sits up. "Who is it?" she asks bravely.

"It's Five." The voice says.

Five?

Five?!

Five!

I rush to the door and open it quickly. Five stands there, as glorious as ever. I hug her immediately and she hugs me back.

"I missed you so much Five!" I exclaim as she sits down on one of the beds. The hotel room is pretty big and can fit three beds so we all have some room.

"Me too, Ella." She says, smiling down at me.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you that we were going to leave."

She nods. "It's okay. I know you didn't mean to. And I learned a whole lot from my journey here to India too." She winks.

My eyes perk up. "Why? What happened?"

She yawns, stretching her arms over her head."I'm really tired. Can I tell you tomorrow?"

I smile sweetly and nod. "Okay, Five. Good night."

She crawls on Six's bed and lays her head on the pillow. Yawning again, she says, "Good night, Ella. Sweet dreams."

I turn off the lamp and go back to sleep.

…

Five

I was woken up by someone poking me on the cheek. I groan and roll to my side.

"Wakey wakey now, Five." Someone says. I recognize the voice as Nine's.

Someone giggles. I think it's Ella.

I sit up, wiping the sleep from my eyes.

"Fine, you guys win. I'll get up."

Nine laughs and kisses my cheek before leaving. Ella giggles again and helps me up.

"Did you have a nice sleep?" she asks casually.

I nod. "Yeah, the best I've had in days."

She giggles again and we head to the kitchen.

Everyone is already there and is laughing amongst themselves. Eight, Sarah, Adam, Malcolm, Sam, and the Chimæra are all surprised to see me.

My Chimæra, Henna, transforms into a Golden Retriever and tackles me playfully, licking my face happily.

"Down, girl." I command, laughing.

I sit down in between Nine and Marina and grab two pancakes.

After breakfast, we all talk about what happened. I told them about Devdan and how he helped me when I was dying. Eight perks up at this and tells us that he knew Devdan too and he helped him hone his shape-shifting Legacy.

"Oh, that reminds me," I say. "I got a new Legacy."

"Well, what are you waiting for? Show us!" John perks up.

I nod and concentrate until my whole body flickers and becomes invisible. The others gasp and I see Six smirk. She whispers _I'll tell you how to master it later._

Malcolm also explains to us (well, mostly to _me_) how he was Loric and got captured and his Legacies were drained right out of him and were used to fuel Mog cannons. I wretch. The Mogs will literally stop at _nothing _to get what they want.

After that, we all headed out for our morning jog.

It was a sunny day with the wind gently blowing on our heels. The sun beats down on our faces and birds sing on top of trees. It's a beautiful day and I'm just so glad that I've finally reunited with the Garde. I also wonder where Devdan is. I hope he's okay. He was a nice man even though he was really weird.

Six and Nine are leading, as usual, and John and Eight are trailing close. I'm somewhere in the middle with Marina. I grit my teeth and go a little faster but not too fast since humans are everywhere.

By the end of the 'race' (that's what Nine calls it), I was in third place and Six was in first, much to Nine's chagrin.

We all head back to the hotel for a water break and then we trained in front of a lake called "Damdama Lake". We swam laps, did one-on-ones, and some combat training. It was a weekday so there weren't a lot of people on the shore.

When we got back, it was already around two in the afternoon and everyone was too tired to cook something so we ate at a seafood restaurant instead.

The dining table was upbeat and gleeful; everybody was chatting and joking and seemed to be having a good time. And, for once, I really felt like I belong in a family.

**A/N: Yes, I know, boring chapter :/ Sorry! But, don't worry, this is just the calm before the storm *cackles evilly***


	20. Chapter 20

**Author's Note: Hey guys! Once again, thanks a lot for all of the support you've given me! We've reached 20 chapters! Wow! Thanks for sticking with me, haha. Also, to Guest: Hi! Yes, I'm aware that they have super speed but I don't think they would use it in public.**

**So, here it is! Hope you enjoy and please follow, favorite, and review!**

John

"Okay guys, what do you think we should do next?" Six asks us, a notepad in her hands. Today is planning day after all.

"I think we should just destroy bases and give those stupid Mogs their killing." Nine suggests from the corner of the room.

Six rolls her eyes at him. "We can't always just kill Mogs, Nine. We need to get Ella's Chest, train—we're getting a _lot _stronger now—and hone our Legacies, and we need to find out who Pittacus is."

I clear my throat, ready to make the announcement. I haven't had the time to tell them with everything that's been going on lately.

"Yeah, John?" Six asks.

"I'm Pittacus." I say.

This caused gasps around the room.

"Really John? That's amazing!" Sarah says, pecking me on the cheek and smiling at me sweetly.

Nine takes the news badly and stands up, "What?! No!"

I was about to tell him something when he cuts me off.

"You can't be Pittacus! I would have liked it more if _Ella _was Pittacus!"

That's when I lost it.

"What's your problem, man? Can't you see that it's a good thing that Pittacus isn't One, Two, or Three?!"

"Whatever, man! Why does it have to be you?"

We're both standing up now.

"Do you think it was up to me? _Do you think it was up to any of us?!"_

Nine sighs deeply and sits back down.

"Enough, both of you!" Six yells, "You're being so pointless! Nine, John being Pittacus is _a good thing_ so stop whining! John, you should have known better than to argue with _Nine_!"

I grunt and sit back down.

"What made you think you were Pittacus, John?" Sarah asks.

I grab my Chest from the corner and press my hands on the lock.

I hear the familiar click and it opens. I grab the small circular object, open it, and hand the piece of paper to Six.

Six reads it and smiles. "Looks like it's official. The new Pittacus is Number Four!"

Everyone cheers. Well, almost everyone.

Nine grunts. "So do we attack a base or get Ella's Chest?"

Ella tugs at Six's arm. "Six, if you don't want to get my Chest first, that's fine with me."

Six puts her arm around her and smiles. "No, Ella. Getting your Chest is our main priority right now."

Ella smiles and heads back to sit with Marina.

"Okay, so. Ella's Chest is buried somewhere in North Carolina. It would take more than 15 hours to get to Charlotte from here. So you should all pack, we're leaving in an hour." Six announces.

I go to my room and dump my clothes inside my backpack. I was never a neat packer.

I sit on the bed after packing. Sarah comes in and sits down next to me nervously.

"John, I need to tell you something."

I look down at her. "Yeah, what is it?"

"I think we should break up." She says, biting her lip.

I immediately react. "What? Why?!"

She takes a deep breath before answering.

"You being Pittacus is a _big _thing, John. You're going to develop all your Legacies soon and I don't want to be in the way of that."

I take a deep breath and grab her shoulders.

"You have never been a burden to me, Sarah. I love you and you know that. Me being Pittacus doesn't change any of that."

She's crying now, tears sliding from her cheeks.

"No, John. This is different. I don't want to be a burden to you or to any of the Garde anymore."

"Sarah please—"

She shakes her head. "No, John. I'm going back to Paradise. You guys would be better off without me."

I'm practically crying now too. I can't lose Sarah. I love her too much.

We sit there for a while, both of us silently whimpering.

"Sarah, please, there has to be another way." I plead but she just shakes her head again.

"I don't want to be a burden anymore, John. All my life I've been a burden to my parents, to my friends, to _you. _I don't want to be a burden to the other Garde. I don't want to be a burden to Lorien. I know you think I'm wrong but I know I'm just holding you guys back. I'm not as valuable as Sam. I can barely hold a gun."

Now it's my turn to shake my head. Sarah is the only person that I've loved completely. She can't go.

"No, please! I can train you if that's what you want! Just… please don't go."

"No, John. Nothing can change my mind."

I'm sobbing now, tears overcoming me.

Sarah can't leave me. I love her too much.

"Come on John," she pleads. "You can always visit me when the war is over. We won't be completely apart. You have my cell phone number, right? We can call each other every night. I just don't want to be in the way of all of this. You understand, right?"

Slowly, I begin to nod. _It's for the best, _a part of me thinks.

"You promise we'll always be together?" I ask.

She nods and smiles confidently. "I promise."

I help her pack after that.

After that, I head to Six's room to tell her what happened and that we need to drop Sarah off at Paradise.

She looks at me with sad eyes. "Are you sure you're going to be okay, John?"

I nod. "It's for the best."

She nods again and asks, "So, the plan is, I'll charge up the Xitharis with Invisibility, you hotwire a car and drive to Paradise. Then you use the Xitharis to sneak in Sarah's house without getting caught by the officials, drop her off and meet us back at North Carolina, and then we get Ella's Chest?"

I nod again.

"So it's settled. I'll go tell the others." She says, clasping her hands together.

I grin and nod again before heading out of the room.

I pace around my room anxiously. I know what I did was right. But I'm worried about Sarah. What is she gets bullied? What if the government arrests her? Oh now _that's _a messed-up thought.

I sling my backpack that's full of new clothes—we had to buy some when the cabin collapsed bask in Oregon—over my shoulder and head out in the hallway that connects my room with the others'.

I knock on their doors. "Hey, guys, are you ready to leave or what?"

I hear a muffled reply that sounds like Marina's. "Just a minute. I'm helping Ella pack her things."

"Okay. I'll wait down the lobby."

I take the elevator downwards. There wasn't anyone there except a burly man in a black trench coat and hat. He's pale—too pale to be human. His eyes are as dark as night and his expression tells me he's been waiting for me.

I know who he is. _What _he is.

He slowly makes his way towards me, his right hand clutching something from his pocket. A blaster.

He points it directly at me and shoots. I deflect it with my telekinesis and fire it at him instead. He stumbles backwards but is alive.

I seize the moment of shock and hurl him away with telekinesis. He stumbles and crashes forwards a tree just outside of the hotel.

Dark blood gurgles out of his mouth but he's still lunging for me. A strong one but just as stupid as the others of his kind.

I give him an uppercut to the jaw and he goes flying backwards before turning to ash immediately.

I run inside the hotel and press the elevator button to go up. Many more Mogadorians could be arriving right at this very second and there's not a moment to lose.

The elevator door slides open and I jump inside, pressing the button for the 4th floor.

_How did they find us? _I think, waiting anxiously as the ride makes its way upwards.

_Could they have bugged our rides?_

I shake the thought away and dash outside, knocking madly at the Garde's doors.

"Come on guys, we need to go! They're here!"

Six runs outside, clutching a handgun. The others soon follow and Malcolm drives us to the nearest airport.

The others somehow got the guns and knives through security check and we board the plane in less than an hour.

I breathe a huge sigh of relief as I take a window seat next to Sarah. BK is in my pocket as a dragonfly and I can hear his tiny movements inside.

I take a seat and push my backpack down the seat, slumping down and waiting for the plane to takeoff.

"What happened?" Sarah asks, the look of worry evident in her eyes.

"I don't know! I was in the lobby waiting for you guys to finish packing when suddenly this Mog came towards me and pointed his stupid blaster. Next thing I knew, I was punching him in the face and running back to the hotel." I explain, frantic.

"Are you okay? Was he alone?"

I nod vigorously. "I'm okay and I think he's alone but I know for sure that more are heading for the hotel right now."

She nods.

I turn to the window and wait as the captain announces, "Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. The plane will takeoff in five minutes. Please buckle your seatbelts and turn off your gadgets."

I do so and grab a magazine from the little rack nearby.

"I'm scared, John." Sarah says after a while.

"Don't be. It's going to be fine. I'm going to get you home safe and sound and your life would be back to normal, okay?"

"But I don't want it to be."

"Sarah, doing this was _your _decision."

"I know that. And I know that this is the best for all of us but I'm really worried. What if my parents hate me when I get back? What if everyone at school thinks I date an extremely dangerous terrorist?"

I shake my head gently, taking her hand. "Don't worry about them. Your parents would be happy that you're back. I'm sure they miss you a lot. And don't worry about those friends of yours. If they're your real friends, they'd stick with you no matter what. And you can always call me if there are any problems, right?"

She nods slowly, biting her lip. "Right. Thanks, John. I love you."

I smile at her. "I love you too."

…

I don't know how long I slept but by the time I open my eyes, the airplane is slowly descending.

Sarah is grabbing her bag from the compartment and I grab my backpack too.

Wiping the sleep from my eyes, I ask her, "How long did I sleep?"

"Ten hours. Did you get any sleep last night?"

I shake my head, searching my memory. "No, I don't think so. I was worried Mogs might catch up to us."

She chuckles and helps me stand as the plane skids to a stop on the runway.

The door opens and the flight attendants say something but I'm too groggy to understand.

I trudge forwards, almost falling flat on my face.

The scenery was amazing. The sun was just setting down and the trees are all aligned in place. The sky was a mixture of pinks and yellows as flocks of birds fly by.

We take three cabs to get to a hotel. In one cab, there's me, Sarah, Nine, and Five. In the second one, there's Six, Marina, Eight, and Ella. The last one has Adam, Malcolm, Sam, and some of the Chimæra, who have now transformed to dogs and cats.

A couple of minutes later, we arrived at a hotel in Charlotte. It looks decent enough, with white walls and brown roofs.

Nine walks in the lobby and orders five rooms for us.

I'm sharing a room with Sarah, Eight is with Marina and Ella, Nine is with Five, Six is with Sam, and Adam and Malcolm are in the last room. I know Malcolm doesn't want to be away from his son but no way is Six sharing a room with a Mogadorian. Even if he's dedicated to help us in winning this war, we still can't erase the memory of what his people did to ours.

I unlock the room with a key to open it. It's pretty big with one queen-sized bed sitting on the middle. A red plush couch is beside it, in front of a 32" flat-screen TV.

Sarah dumps our bags on the couch and pushes her shoes out before stepping in the shower.

I crash on the bed and flip the TV open. I scroll through the channels and settle on a news-reporting one.

So far, there isn't any news of what we did back at West Virginia—which is strange. Is the government helping the Mogadorians to remain oblivious?

_I think they are, John. _BK's soothing voice pops in my head, he's at my feet, looking up at me calmly, wagging his tail back and forth. He transformed into his beagle form without me noticing.

_I don't know, buddy. But if they are, then that's an even bigger problem for us._

_I know you can beat them, John. The Garde are getting stronger as each day passes._

I nod at him and smile gently.

Sarah comes out of the shower, her golden hair drenched and hanging loose around her shoulders.

I trudge towards the bed and collapse in the soft blankets.

"Aren't you going to shower?" Sarah asks, plugging a hairdryer to the wall.

I groan.

She chuckles. "Okay. But don't blame me if I go running off in the middle of the night because you stink."

Moments later, she prop herself in the bed and both of us drift away to sleep, cherishing our last night together.


	21. Chapter 21

**Author's Note: Hi! Again, thanks for all the support you've given me throughout this story! I really, really appreciate it. And to all of the John/Sarah fans, don't worry. I've got a trick or two up my sleeve…**

**So, here's Chapter 21! Don't forget to follow, favorite, and review!**

John

Today's the big day and I'm not looking forward to it.

"John… get up." Sarah says, nudging my side.

I groan and roll over, shielding my eyes from the sun. "I don't want to."

"Come on…" she says. "You have to wake up sooner or later."

I groan again. "But I don't want to."

She laughs a little bit. "Fine, suit yourself. But don't start crying when the others get stronger than you because you refuse to get up for training."

And then she left.

Eventually, I got up since my head was hurting from oversleeping and the sun hurt my eyes.

The others were already there, eating breakfast and laughing together. I rub the back of my neck and sit down in between Sam and Sarah.

We all eat a hearty meal of eggs, bacon, and toast. Six then begins making plans for the day.

"Okay. So, there's been some change of plans. First off, we need to get Sarah back to Paradise. But I was thinking, Sam, Malcolm, and I can go with you to Paradise and after we drop Sarah off, we can go to Malcolm's house and search that well again. Since you told me about the things you guys found there when I went off to Spain, I've been thinking we should learn more from that well. It could hold some Loric secrets and maybe reveal which Elder we'll all be."

We all sit back in awe. It makes perfect sense that she'd want to go to that place. I'm on board with that idea since I think there are much more things in there we need to discover and now that Malcolm's here, he can help us. Well, that's if his memory pushes through.

Slowly, I nod. "I think it's a good idea. So the five of us will go to Paradise and get more stuff that has some connection with Lorien, the Elders and all that. Eight, Marina, Ella, Adam, Five, and Nine will stay back and help Ella get her Chest.

We all nod in agreement and went off to change into clothes that aren't coffee-stained (none of us are really that good in laundering clothes) or pajamas.

After that, we get into yet another van we stole and drove off to Paradise. Nerves are filling my thoughts and I get a little excited. Paradise was the first ever place that made any sort of impact on me. Like, the other places me and Henri went to were always just _there. _Nothing significant happened. But in Paradise, that was where I met my first and best friend, Sam, and my true love, Sarah. It was where I got my first Legacy, and where I had my first fight with the Mogs.

That place had a lot of my firsts, but it was also Henri's final resting place.

It's a bittersweet story when you think about it.

…

Marina

"So, Ella, you ready to get your Chest?" I ask her, pulling her hair up in a high ponytail just like back at Santa Teresa.

She nods. "Yup! I've been waiting _forever._"

I laugh. "I know how you feel."

Just then, Eight comes in followed by Five. He puts his arm around his shoulder and I blush at the slight contact despite the fact that he's already done it so many times before. We are sort of together now since that battle in Dulce. He kept thanking me for saving his life and things just kind of went from there.

"Are you guys ready?" Five asks, interrupting my reverie.

We nod eagerly.

"Good. Nine's the only one we're waiting for. He's still, uh, doing something." She says.

Eight grins. "Ooh. Nine." He raises his eyebrows at her and I can't help but laugh.

Her cheeks flush and she looks down. "What?"

"Oh, nothing… You guys have just been…_closer _together lately…" Eight replies, still grinning.

Five laughs with him and shakes her head. Me and Ella look at each other and smile.

Eventually, Nine joins in and we drive off to Ella's hiding spot.

Ella's hiding spot really is hidden. It's down an alley. You have to climb down a manhole and into the sewers. We all asked her if there was another way but she said that was the only way she and Crayton ever went to their place.

After, you walk around the sewers a little bit and try to avoid getting wet by toilet water and you eventually reach a wall marked with the Loric symbol for Number Ten. We all thought it was pretty obvious to the Mogs but we also don't think the Mogs spend any time down the sewers. They're disgusting enough as they are.

"Silly Papa…" Ella giggles as Nine punches the wall with a pickaxe.

After some time, the wall caves in and we manage to rescue a box decorated with Loric carvings and gemstones much like the ones in our Chests.

We haul it back to the hotel. We got some weird looks from people at first but Five made it invisible using her Legacy.

While the others rest, me, Five, and Ella excitedly open her Chest.

She runs a towel over it first, smoothing out the edges and dusting off the cement.

She presses her hands on the metal lock and it clicks. Her eyes light up as she opens up a lid and picks a blue cube at random.

"What's this?" she asks, putting it up close to her nose.

"Oh, I have something just like that. I think it's called Sustenance. Supposedly, the yellow cubes are sources of food, and the blue ones are for water." Five explains. I look on, amazed by the little cube and both embarrassed by how little I know of anything in my Chest.

Ella wrinkles her nose. "How do I drink this?"

"You put it in your mouth."

Ella does so and her mouth overflows with cold water. She spits the cube back out, rubbed it dry with a towel and put it back in the Chest.

"What does this one do?" she asks, picking up a round, metal thing with spikes on the edges. It looks sort of like a silver crown without all the fancy gems and carvings.

"I think you're supposed to put it on top of your head." I say, unsure.

She slowly does so and it was a perfect fit; like it was made exactly for her.

It just sits there, on top of her head, accenting her auburn hair around her pale face.

"Does this even do anything?" she asks. Both me and Five shrug.

"Maybe you're supposed to be under attack for it to work."

Since the three of us really don't know, we tried it. Five shot Ella with a little earthy stick in the neck. I was prepared to heal her anytime when, suddenly, just when the stick was about to hit her, the crown expanded all over her body, enveloping her like an iron armor so quickly until just her eyes were visible.

We all stood there in shock. It happened so fast, the crown looked like a blur doing it.

Ella's eyes widen in shock. We rush over to her as she says, "Um, guys? Do you know how to turn this thing off?"

Me and Five laugh.

"Come on! Don't laugh! I may be stuck in this thing _forever!"_ Ella whines, her voice muffled by the armor.

"Come on now, hey. Don't think like that." Five says, patting her shoulders.

"But how do I get this off?"

"Maybe you should try to will it off. With telekinesis?" I suggest.

Ella scrunches her eyes close and focuses. After a minute, the armor snaps to a close just as quickly as it opened. It transforms back into a crown, innocently sitting on top of Ella's pile of auburn hair.

"Wow! Good job, Ella!" Five comments.

Ella grins victoriously but shrugs. "It was your idea, Marina."

I smile and we keep digging inside her Chest.

"What's this?" Ella asks after a while, grabbing a neon blue crystal from the Chest. It was pulsating with light and in the middle of it, a bright pink gem sits on the surface.

Five shrugs, standing up and looking over Ella's shoulder.

"Maybe you should—"Five begins but was interrupted by the crystal transforming into a sword that's just a little longer than Ella's arm. Its edges were glowing with a dark blue light, slowly spreading against the surface. The pink gem sits on the hilt of the sword, also glowing with a peculiar blue light.

"Hey, why is that thing glow—" Five begins again but the sword stretches forward. Five jumps out of the way, the sword missing her by just a millimeter.

The sword crashes towards the wall, chipping some of the paint off. Before anyone can say anything, the sword switches back to its original length. The edges have stopped glowing, which seems to be a good thing.

"Are you guys okay?" I ask immediately.

They both nod.

"I'm so sorry, Five! I didn't know what was happening and—"

Now _Five _cuts _her _off. "It's okay, Ella. I wasn't hurt. And besides, that sword is pretty awesome!"

"Yeah," I agree. "But you have to learn to control it, Ella."

She nods. "But I don't know why it did that. And I don't know how to control it either."

I walk to her side, putting my arm around her shoulder. "That's okay. You'll be able to learn to control it sooner or later."

She nods again but I can tell she isn't convinced. She sits on a nearby couch, the sword on her lap. She puts her chin on her hands and sighs. "I wish Papa was still here. He'd know what to do."

I plop down next to her. "I know, Ella. I wish he was here too. But we have to stay strong and figure things out for ourselves."

She sighs again. "You're right, Marina. I can't just sit here and sulk! I need to figure out some of the other things in my Chest so when the time comes, I'll know what to do with them."

I smile at her sudden surge of confidence and we sit back on the floor and dig in again.

We found a Healing Stone, and another cube. It was yellow and when Ella put it inside her mouth, she said she was like eating something. The cube was a substitute for food, apparently.

There was also a rubbery ball and we found out that it's a type of gum that lets you breathe underwater for quite a long period of time.

The last thing we discovered was a box full of red darts.

"What do these do?" Five asks, examining one of the darts in her hands.

Meanwhile, Ella is speechless, her eyes wide and her mouth open as she picks up one of the darts.

"Is that what I think it is?" I ask.

Ella nods slowly, counting the darts inside the box.

Five looks around, confused. "What? What do these do? How do you guys know?"

I told her the whole story about Setrakus Ra being able to take away our Legacies and about how these darts helped us escape alive.

"Oh my God." She exclaims. "I can't believe we have so many of these. We may have just found the key to beating Setrakus Ra."


	22. Chapter 22

**Author's Note: Hi again, guys! So sorry for the late updates: I've been really busy and my busyness would probably continue so updates may be a little slow for a while. BUT THE GOOD NEWS IS I WON A CONTEST! THE BAD NEWS IS I'M JOINING ANOTHER CONTEST THAT'S, LIKE, A WEEK AWAY AND I HAVE TO PREPARE! Sorry! But a student's got to do what a student's got to do. So anyway, thanks so much for all the support and I hope you continue with them! And now here's Chapter 22! Remember to follow, favorite, and review! **

**P.S. THE FALL OF FIVE WAS EMOTIONALLY EXHAUSTING DON'T READ IT IF YOU ARE NOT EMOTIONALLY STABLE I'M TELLING YOU.**

John

As signs advertising Paradise, Ohio pass by, I slowly turn into a curb and watch the people pass by. The sun is beating down on us but the wind is thin, smooth.

Sarah is next to me, her hair slowly dancing around her cheeks with the windows of the car rolled down. She looks peaceful and wistful but there's a hint of sadness in her bright blue eyes. I want to tell her that it's okay, that everything's going to be fine. But I can't do that. Of course I can't. Nothing's fine when you're dating an extraterrestrial creature who's being hunted by a horde of aliens.

The others are crammed up in the back. Sam and Malcolm are both looking serenely out the window, remembering their normal lives. I feel somewhat guilty that they aren't safely inside their homes right now; with their family. But I know that this is what they want to do. And what they need to do in order to stop this war.

After about another half hour of driving, we arrive about five or so yards from Sarah's house. The others wait by the car as I walk with Sarah to her house. So many memories play back in my head as Sarah leads the way into the familiar view.

We arrive moments later. Her parents' car is parked which means that they're currently home and that it would mean the end of me if they found out I'm with their daughter. So as a safety precaution, we say good bye to each other a safe distance away.

"Well I guess this is it." I say, feeling more poignant than ever.

A tear slides from her cheek but she's smiling. "By _it _do you mean me returning to my boring life and being back with my boring friends and talk about boring things that involve boring people? And after that, I'll be back in my boring house and in my boring room and sleep in my boring bed without you?"

We both chuckle a little bit.

"I'm gonna miss you." I say sullenly.

She smiles and nods, but her eyes are brimming with tears. "Don't. We'll call each other every night, right?"

I nod. "Yeah. But that's not the same as seeing you every morning."

She shrugs. "You're going to be okay, John. And don't worry about me. I'll be okay here. If anything happens, we have each other, right?"

I nod and hug her tight, feeling her warmth against my body for what will be the last time in a long time.

I kiss her for one last time and then she lets go. I can see that she's still crying and I'm starting to tear up too.

"If something happens, just give me a call and I'll be right over, okay?"

"Okay."

We hug one last time and she walks a few steps away from me, towards the house.

"I love you, Sarah." I say.

She smiles and nods. "I love you too, John."

And then we both walk away.

I'm glad that she's back where she belongs; with her family and friends, not with some aliens who are constantly being tracked around the globe.

…

Five

"Mogs!" Eight shouts from the other room.

I let out a string of curses as I jump into position, Marina and Ella by my side. I can see that Ella is wearing her crown and holding her sword.

Suddenly, an army of Mogs crashes the wall in front of us. All of them are heavily armed and I can see about ten krauls trailing them.

"Are you guys ready?" I ask, grinning. It's been a while since I've joined a good fight.

They both nod.

A Mog rushes towards the three of us, his sword thrust forward, but Marina creates a telekinetic shield to block the blow.

More Mogs are piling in and I can see the others fighting their way through the thick army.

I launch fireballs at the Mogs and I disintegrate a few but there are so many of them. The hotel is collapsing as each blow passes and I can hear screams coming from downstairs.

"Go!" Marina shouts.

"What?!" I ask, incredulous.

"Take Ella with you and go someplace safe. I can handle this. Just contact me telepathically, okay? Now go!" she exclaims.

I nod vigorously as I make me and Ella invisible and rush outside. There's a car waiting for us but I have no idea how to hotwire one. Fortunately, Adam was there and he apparently has some experience.

Me and Ella jump in the back as Adam revs the engine. All of the Mogs are too focused on the hotel to notice us fleeing, which is good.

"Where are we going?" Ella asks as Adam pulls out on the road, her heart still pounding.

"I don't know," I shrug. "But anywhere is safer than here."

…

Eight

"Marina!" I shout as I rush to her side. She has just used her Legacy to manipulate sound to blow some of the Mogs away.

I shape shift into Narasimha, one of Vishnu's avatars; a half-lion, half-man.

I bite some of the Mogs' heads off and claw some of them out but they just keep coming. Marina has created a telekinetic shield but it's not enough.

Nine is at the far end of the hall, standing on the roof, his pipe staff covered in Mog ash. I can see he's struggling.

I teleport to him and help kill some Mogs off.

"You alright?" I ask.

"Yeah!" he shouts. "You didn't even have to come over! Go help your little girlfriend, dude."

I sigh and teleport back to where Marina was, but she isn't there.

Panic races through me as I glance around the room, my head spinning.

She's nowhere to be found.

"Marina!" I shout over the blasts of Mogadorian canons.

No answer.

"Marina!" I try again. Nothing.

I teleport all over the hotel and outside, dodging blasts and killing a few Mogs along the way. I need to get to Marina.

Finally, I see her. She's being dragged furiously by a Mog into the back of a truck. She's trying to squirm free but she can't: the Mog's too strong.

Immediately, I teleport to her. The Mog notices and quickly pulls out a red stone from his pocket. In one swift motion, he places the rock over his heart and both him and Marina teleport away.

"No!" I scream, as tears start rolling down my cheeks. Marina's gone. She's been captured. And I couldn't do anything.


	23. Chapter 23

**Author's Note: Hey! Thanks so much for all the support! Really, every view means a lot to me. And I also found some time to update! So yeah! And now, here's Chapter 23! Hope you like it!**

John

"Malcolm!" Six calls over from the other side of the room. The three of us are in Malcolm's hideout while Sam is in their house, catching up with his mom.

Malcolm and I both come over, passing the huge skeleton.

"Look at what I found!" Six says enthusiastically, holding up a huge, dusty book. The cover reads: "**THE HISTORY OF LORIEN**."

Six drops it on the cold stone floor, creating a huge _thump _sound.

We all gather around it.

The pages are slightly torn and yellowing, but otherwise readable. The whole book is covered with a thick layer of dust and the spine is a little bit worn out, making some of the pages fall out.

"Looks like this is all we need." Malcolm says, brushing the dirt from the book, making us all cough.

"Hold on." I say, standing up and grabbing a box full of red darts; like the ones Ella had used to make Setrakus Ra return our Legacies again. It's going to be useful, that's for sure.

"Hey, Malcolm?" I ask as we head back to their house.

"Hm?" he asks back, pushing his glasses backward.

"Did you know how you got these?" I twirl the box in my hands.

He pinches the bridge of his nose, in deep thought.

"I don't know, John. All I know is that it has something to do with Pittacus; I think it came from him, but I'm not sure." He explains.

I nod, not wanting to push him any further. There's a time and place for everything.

We all sit down on the couch in Sam's room, the tension between Malcolm and Mrs. Goode increasing as each second passes. Mrs. Goode is still pretty angry at him and Malcolm can't do anything about it. It's not like he can tell her the whole story.

"I've missed you so much." Mrs. Goode says, hugging Sam.

"You too, mom." Sam replies. To this day, I've never seen him happier.

…

Marina

My head is spinning and I feel nauseas. I'm in some sort of moving vehicle but I can't see anything. I think I'm blindfolded.

I can feel other people with me and I can hear them talking but I can't make out what they're saying.

I then realize my hands are also cuffed. I try to squirm free but I guess they must have noticed because one of them came up to me and tore my blindfold away so I can see his big, ugly, and menacing face staring right at me. I flinch.

"Well, Sleeping Beauty! You're finally awake!" he said. His sour breath was spitting at my face, making me feel even dizzier.

"Where am I? Who are you?" I manage to ask, mustering up all my strength for every word.

He simply laughs (or is it more of a cackle?) and sashays back to where his colleague was.

I'm in a truck, I suppose, filled with cardboard boxes stacked high. The two men are at the far corner, murmuring about something.

I've gathered up just a little bit of strength to telekinetically snap my handcuffs off. Slowly, I wiggle my hands free and manage to stand up.

The others notice immediately but I was prepared and used my telekinesis to hold them back. One of them collapses on the ground, unconscious, while the other one stays put.

I feel like the energy is being drained out of me as I try to keep the shield from collapsing. Finally though, it collapses.

The man lunges for me, holding a cloth of some kind. My blindfold.

Before thinking, I scream. The sound echoes and bounces off the walls, piercing the man and sending him flying out the truck, leaving a Mog-shaped hole behind. I almost chuckled, if not for the shouting I can hear from the driver's seat.

"Hey what's the ruckus over there? Mar—hey why don't you stop the truck, huh? CAN'T YOU HEAR ME TALKIN'?!"

The truck stops and I can hear the car door swing open.

I freeze.

_Get ready, _I thought as I plant my feet on the ground.

The truck door opens and a round man steps in. I can tell immediately that he isn't a Mog. First of all, he isn't pale and he has normal teeth. Second, he's wearing an FBI vest, and I can see his badge peeking from his shirt pocket; one of those US government allies that have teamed up with the Mogs. I feel sorry for them, really I do.

"Mart!" he shouts, his head whipping around.

"Looking for your Mog friend?" I tease, my breath heaving.

"What did you do to Mart?" he asks, dumbfounded.

Funny, I didn't even know Mogs had names. Maybe the high-ranking ones did, but those pale soldiers are treated as the expendable ones, so I didn't expect them to value them so much as to give them proper names.

The man lunges for me and pins me to the ground. My body aches too much to fight back.

I can see some letters imprinted on his shirt: SPECIAL AGENT PURDY.

He's surprisingly agile, grabbing a gun from its holster. I was readying myself to stop the bullet with telekinesis, but instead of shooting me, he whacks my head with it, making me unconscious.

…

I wake up feeling increasingly nauseous; even more nauseous than I was when I first woke up. I'm no longer in the truck, but in a white room, strapped to a chair. There are some men in lab coats walking around the room, testing out vials of chemicals on random animals like rats, bugs, even dogs.

My head is spinning and I can't remember anything. Who am I? Where am I?

One of the men comes up to me, holding a clipboard.

"Hello, Marina." He says, smiling. Marina. Marina. Marina. Marina. Who is Marina? I don't remember any Marinas. Maybe I was Marina. I don't know. I can't think straight.

"Who is Marina? Who are you? Who am I?" I ask.

He smiles down at me serenely. He looks so peaceful and nice. I figure I can trust this man.

He pulls out something from his coat pocket and injects it into my shoulder. I don't feel anything though.

"What are you doing?!" I shout, now feeling scared.

He pats my hair. "Don't worry. Everything's going to be okay…"

I find myself nodding unconsciously, feeling like I have no control whatsoever with anything I do or think.

He looks me straight in the eyes and I notice that he has really dark eyes. Darker than the darkest depth of darkness. Something inside me is telling me to run away from this man, but I can't do anything.

"Everything is going to be okay…" he reassures me, and I nod, feeling hypnotized. I'm agreeing to every word he says, believing him, trusting him.

"You are going to be much more powerful…" he says serenely.

I nod.

Now, he looks much more serious, his dark eyes the only thing I can see.

"You are a loyal Mogadorian soldier…"

I nod.


	24. Chapter 24

**Author's Note: Hi! So sorry I haven't been updating. School has been SO HECTIC the last couple of days, so updates would be a little bit slow. Sorry! Thanks so much for all the support though! Every single view makes me so happy! **

**Anyway! Here's Chapter 24! Enjoy!**

Ella

"Five! Adam! Come look at this!" I call out, my eyes darting everywhere on the computer screen in front of me.

After we fled the battle, we went straight to South Carolina, away from all the Mogs and the mess. I miss Marina terribly. I hope to Pittacus she's okay.

We're in a little hotel room east of Columbia. We've already been here for five days, and we haven't heard a peep from the others. I've tried communicating with them through telepathy, but no such luck. So far, no Mogs have been lurking around the corners, which is a good sign. But we still have to reconnect with the others soon.

"What?" Five asks, peeking over my shoulder.

I point to the screen where a picture of two boys jumping down from a destroyed John Hancock Center is the headline.

Five gasps. It's Nine and Eight.

The article is calling them terrorists, like how they did with John back in Paradise. The two of them are now on FBI's most wanted list. Oh no! Now it's going to be even harder to track them down now that the FBI is also on their trail.

Adam walks in the room then, the book "1984" by George Orwell grasped by his hands. He's been reading a lot lately. He peeks over my shoulder too and shakes his head as he sees the news. I frown, too, as I scroll down some more.

"What are we going to do?" I ask.

They both shake their heads at the same time.

"I don't know." they reply simultaneously.

Six

We've been staying for a few days at the Goode's house, even though I've begged John and the others to go home. I'm sure they'd want us to be back.

I also refused to read the book without the other Garde members, much to John's chagrin. He wants to read it so badly already, desperate to find anything useful to beat Setrakus Ra. But we have to read it as a family.

I'm out in the backyard, doing some pushups and sit-ups, careful not to show my superhuman strength when Mrs. Goode is here. That's another reason I want to go home—to do some proper training. My muscles feel weak with only pushups and sit-ups to do all day.

Just then, a bird flies straight at me. It's a huge bird too, but I don't know what kind. I try to duck but I somehow can't. _Come on, Six! You're going to be hit by a bird? You're better than that._

But instead of smacking me in the forehead, the bird flies straight through me.

Feeling utterly confused, I whip my head around. The first thing I notice is that I'm alone—good. We don't want Mrs. Goode to witness what just happened.

I exhale happily. A new Legacy! Just in time, too. Wait till the Mogs get a load of this.

I pick up a pot from Mrs. Goode's rose garden and try to practice with my new Legacy. It takes a lot of concentration—more than turning invisible requires, but after about two hours, I think I have it under control. I just need to develop it more and then I'm ready to kick the Mogs's ass with it.

I go inside the house then, the chicken cooking from the kitchen filling my senses. Well, I guess there _is _one thing I'll miss here: Mrs. Goode's cooking. And she doesn't mind my huge appetite either.

I knock on Sam's bedroom, ready to tell him the good news.

"Come in." I hear from inside. I turn the doorknob and immediately feel like I'm stepping inside an alien fanatic's lair. And maybe I am.

Posters of aliens, NASA spaceships, newspaper articles and photographic evidence of an 'alien invasion' cover the walls. Sam's sitting on his desk, in front of a computer.

"Hey Sam, I got a new Le—"I start but he shushes me and beckons me to see whatever it was on his screen.

Annoyed, I walk over and peek over his shoulder.

And there, right there, smack dab in the middle of the screen, is a picture of Nine and Eight jumping off the John Hancock Center.

"We have to leave!" I yell at Sam as I dash outside of his room and towards mine. I can't believe it! Now the Garde are being hunted by the US government! _Again!_

Frustrated, I slam my clothes in my backpack, as well as the book, and run outside the hall. I knock fiercely on John's room.

"John! We have to get out! John! Nine and Eight are in trouble!" I yell. I don't even care if Mrs. Goode can hear me. The Garde are in trouble. And it is my duty to Lorien to help them.

Eight

The only thing worse than being stuck in the middle of the road in a stolen RV while being hunted by the government is when you're doing all of that with Nine.

He's in the back seat, snoring, while I have to drive off the government's radar and find a decent place to stay in.

Both of us have no idea where we are right now, so we'll need a map. The problem is, there aren't any stores nearby. The whole place is deserted; no sign of civilization anywhere.

The last thing I remember from the fight with the Mogs was Marina being taken away. I know I should have saved her. I should have run after her. I should have stopped the Mogadorian from hoisting her on that truck. I should have at least _tried _to save her.

But I didn't.

And the only thing worse than failing the only person you've ever loved more than the entire universe itself, is knowing that that person is in the hands of the world's most dangerous criminals because of you.

Tears slowly fall down my face as I punch the steering wheel forcefully, sending out a loud honk. I'm glad there aren't any police officers or pedestrians to reprimand me. Or Nine telling me how weak I am, even though I know he misses her too.

Especially Five.

I don't know where the three of them are right now. I don't even know where John and the others are. All of us are separated—not a good sign. I just hope that we can at least find one of them. Just one hint that the other members of the Garde are okay.

Marina

The man guides me through a room filled with cylindrical glass cases. There were animals inside, their stomachs hooked by a tube to a machine next to the case. They seemed to be unconscious or possibly dead, floating in a pool of disgusting yellow liquid. Every single one of my senses is telling me to turn and run away. Or to at least try to fight. But it's no use. The whole room is chock full of Mogs. Scouts, guards, and scientists surround every corner, looking stiff and emotionless as they glance around the room.

Strangely, I feel controlled. My muscles move without my command, and my mouth opens and closes unconsciously. Only my thoughts seem to be in place. But I'm using every ounce of my energy left to keep it that way. I faintly remember thinking some very strange thoughts earlier today.

"This way, Marina." The man says, guiding me to a room. My body takes over and I nod, walking inside the room.

It has one of those glass cases in the very middle of the room, a metal chair beside it, and a table of very sharp instruments as well as about a dozen of multicolored vials.

My mind is racing and I want to get out of here. But whatever poison they injected me with was strong. There's no way out. My legs slowly walk towards the chair and I sit down. I try to struggle free, but I simply can't.

The man stands in front of me and makes a cut right in the middle of my throat. To my surprise, no blood pours out. Instead, my throat starts to turn into a yellowish color, like the liquid from those cases. He picks up a vial and pours it inside my throat and soon, my entire torso has become yellow. I look diseased. No, worse. I don't just look like an ordinary, diseased being.

The Mogs have turned me into a monster.

Suddenly, the little control I have over my thoughts vanish and I find myself standing up and walking towards the glass case, opening it, and stepping inside. The man attaches a tube to my stomach, closes the case, and presses some buttons on the machine. The case hums to life and blue liquid transfers from the machine to my system. I smile as the poison spreads itself around my body, enveloping my whole being in beautiful darkness.

The only thing I remember before blacking out was thinking, "_For Mogadorian progress."_


	25. Chapter 25

**Author's Note: Hey guys! Again, thanks a **_**lot **_**for all the support you've given me! It makes my days more enjoyable. I'm really sorry for my slow updates, but I'll be able to update more regularly really soon since I'm going to have a two-week vacation from school starting this week, so please, bear with me.**

**Oh and now here's Chapter 25! Hope you enjoy!**

Eight

Me and Nine walk into a 24-hour convenience store, both starving and broke. We have been driving for the past seven hours, and we have no idea where we are.

"How are we supposed to get food when we don't have any money?" I whisper.

Nine smirks and replies. "That, Ocho, is why you have Teleportation, and why I have quick hands."

I nod, getting it.

We move on to an aisle full of snack food and everything unhealthy. My starvation caves in and I grab as many as I can. Beside me, Nine has taken a basket and filled it with everything he has his eyes on: coffee, cereals, more junk food, and even some frozen food in wrappers. I guess we'll be able to cook them later, once we find a place to settle in.

"Ready?" I ask, my eyes drooping. I don't know if I have the energy to make the trip, and plus, I don't even know _where _to go. My sense of direction has gone away ever since my Marina was taken away.

"One sec." he grins and rushed off to another aisle. He's back in a flash, the basket filled with Gatorade and other cans I can't make out.

He grabs onto my arm and I close my eyes, concentrating. The world around us then becomes a kaleidoscope of colors and shapes, blending all around us in a dizzying motion.

When I open my eyes, we're in an alley of some sort, surrounded by walls tattered with graffiti and dumpsters.

"Where are we?" Nine asks, rubbing his head; a side-effect of teleporting.

"I don't know." I mumble.

Our groceries are scattered in front of us, the contents of the basket emptying in the dirty cement.

I quickly gather them into the basket and sit up, my back against the wall.

"Dude, we need to get into a motel room or something. Quick. My back is killing me. And plus, I'm tired." He complains.

I sigh exasperatedly. "I know. Me too. But how are we going to rent a motel room if we don't have any money?"

Even in his tired state, he still manages to smirk smugly. "Easy."

He jumps up and runs forward, out in the dark alleyway.

I'm too tired to stand up and ask him what he's doing. So I just sit there, sad, alone, hungry, and tired.

I was still thinking about Marina. I know she's not dead, since I don't have any new scars, but I know in my heart that she's in danger.

The Mogs are doing something to her—something absolutely horrible. I keep thinking, _what if I lose her? What am I going to do without my precious Marina?_

_Get a hold of yourself, Eight. She isn't going to die. Marina is strong. She can survive this._

But even as I say this, tears still form in my eyes. I don't bother to wipe them away.

Moments later, Nine comes back, his face smug. I notice he's holding something—money.

I don't bother to ask him how he got it. Knowing Nine, it could have been anything.

With our groceries and newfound cash at hand, Nine and I trudge throughout the dark city, our stomachs growling. The city was eerily quiet, a soft breeze blowing about in the surroundings.

From what I can tell, it was a very big city. Buildings and towers stack high all around us, cars parked in every corner, trees dancing in the wind at every street. Houses with their lights still on are built around us, in different shapes, colors, and sizes.

But no motels.

"Dude, we should just find a nice good spot and sleep there." Nine suggests, yawning. I'm too tired to argue.

We find some decent park benches near a coffee shop, put our items beneath them, and lay down to sleep.

…

Six

"Oh, my God." Sam says, his eyes as wide as saucers.

The hotel towers over us—or at least what it _was. _It's no more than a pile of rubble. Half of it has been destroyed, glass is shattered everywhere, dust crawling beneath every inch. Pieces of metal and cement are piled around it, shattered and destroyed. Police lines and investigators surround the area, notepads in hand.

Clearly, this was the work of Mogadorians.

The police lines prevent us from taking any closer looks, but with my invisibility, I manage to sneak in.

A few Mogadorian canons lay astray on the pile of rubble, the area around them covered in ash.

All of it makes me so angry.

We're separated again; all of us on different routes and in on different dangers.

Suddenly, I hear a voice inside my head; a young, timid one. Ella!

"_Ella!" I tell her._

"_Six! I'm so glad I've contacted you! I've been trying for ages!" she sighs._

"_Are you guys okay? Where are you?"_

"_We're okay. I'm with Five and Adam, and we're in Columbia, South Carolina."_

"_Wait—where are Marina, Eight, and Nine? You mean you're not with them?" I reply, panic coursing through my body._

"_No. I don't know where they are, Six! But they were on the news. Well, Nine and Eight were. I don't know about Marina…" she tells me, sullen._

_This makes me jerk back in surprise. Where is Marina? Have the Mogs captured her?_

"_Okay, Ella. We're coming for you. We're still here, in North Carolina. But we're coming for you, okay? Just tell us exactly where you are. Do you have the Chests?"_

"_Yeah. Adam loaded the car before we got away. We have all the Chests, Six. And please hurry. I'm worried about the Garde."_

Our communication wavers, and I am left to stand there, invisible, standing on a pile of rubble and ash, thinking about the Garde.

Where is Marina?

What about Eight and Nine?

And Five, Ella, and Adam?

What's going to happen to the Garde?

…

"Faster, John!" I yell over the billowing winds. We're almost where Ella and the others are. If John just goes a little bit faster, we can make it before nighttime.

"I'm going as fast as the speed limit allows!" he yells back.

I sigh in frustration, sitting back and trying to relax.

But it's no use. I'm so worried, I could burst.

The Mogs planned this. They've separated us, knowing that we're weaker apart than together. They have taken Marina off to some base, I'm guessing. Nine and Eight are hiding somewhere, trying to get off the government's radar.

At least it seems like Ella, Five, and Adam or okay.

Or then again, maybe not.

"_Six! Help! The Mogs are here!" Ella yells telepathically._

I think up a "we're coming!" when I see it: a huge black van, with Mogs piling out of it.


	26. Chapter 26

**Author's note: Hey! I'm back! Sorry for the late updates! But I'm going to be able to update more frequently now since I'm on a vacation of sorts. SO YEAH!**

**Thanks so much for supporting both of my fics! Your support makes me feel like a semi-decent person.**

**So anyway! Here is Chapter 26! Review, follow, and favorite!**

Five

"Ella!" I scream as I rush to the living room of our hotel. Ella is slowly sitting up on the couch, scrambling to get her sword from her Chest. A Mogadorian breaks the wall with a canon, sending green light all over the place.

I fire back with a fireball the size if a car, sending him and his troops flying.

Ella grabs her sword and awkwardly sways it and beheads three Mogs in a row. We haven't had any proper training since we separated from the others.

"Adam! Where are you?" I yell over the chaotic mess of burning rubble and collapsing walls.

Just then, Adam walks in the room in a panic, carrying two machineguns.

I didn't have any time to ask where he got the guns. Instead, the three of us took our battle positions and fired in every direction imaginable.

Ella found out that she can charge the sword's hilt with her lasers and make more powerful slashes. I found out that I can create fire tornadoes, but we found out about that the hard way—we had to duck behind the couch a few times to avoid being burned to death.

And we also found out that Adam can work a machinegun.

Mogs coming in through the windows from helicopters and vans have their swords thrust forward, ready for attack.

But we are stronger.

I make another fire tornado that leaves them in ashes. Ella is panting but still fighting, her sword heavily slashing through the Mogs' necks.

Adam is firing nonstop, the bullets destroying our eardrums. Not one of us was hurt. Not one bruise appeared on our skin.

We really are getting stronger.

The battle was gruesome and bloody, but it was good training. Nearly half of the hotel collapsed yet again after we finished, but we didn't have any time to worry. We had to get moving.

"Quick! Grab the Chests and anything else you could get your hands on and let's go!" I command.

Ella tosses all of the Chests inside one of the garbage bags we found under the kitchen sink. Adam throws in his laptop and some more guns.

Both of them cling to my arms as we turn invisible and fly out of the building.

We get in a station wagon Adam hotwired for an occasion just like this one and drive away to safety.

…

Adam is driving and I'm sitting shotgun, still exhausted. Ella is in the back seat with the Chests.

"Ella? Have you heard anything from the others yet?" I ask.

She nods. "Yup! Six and I talked a little bit until our connection was cut off by the attack. She said they were on North Carolina and they're heading for us right now. I better tell them we're on the road again."

I nod, pleased. "Great! Hopefully we'll find the others soon."

Ella nods and squeezes her eyes shut, concentrating.

After a while, she opens them, looking quite disappointed. "I couldn't get them. Sorry. Maybe I should try again."

"No, Ella. Get some rest. We're all tired from the battle. You can try again when you wake up."

She nods again, her eyes drooping warily. Within minutes, she's fast asleep in the back seat, her head resting against the dusty window of the ride.

I yawn, but stay alert and awake. I can't sleep. Not now. Not now that we're on the run. Not now that we're fighting for survival.

…

Marina

"And thus, the Great Expansion was necessary for Mogadorian life forms to continue surviving. Without Ra's leadership, all will collapse. All will become chaotic. So let's all say in unison: HAIL SETRAKUS RA!" Professor Akuhn concludes.

"Hail Setrakus Ra!" We all reply before marching towards the next room for combat training.

I've been here for more than a week now. The Garde—they are all useless. They haven't even tried to contact me. I'm better off without them. Those people… I used to treat them as my family. But I knew all along that they never valued me like the Mogadorians do now. They think I'm just their nurse; just a defense Garde.

Well I'll show them.

I'll show all of them that I am capable of more than just healing.

Setrakus Ra himself stops me in my tracks. "I need to speak with you."

I bow solemnly, dropping down to my knees to show him praise. "Yes, my lord."

He leads me to one of the underground tunnels of Ashwood Estates, to a large pristine white room with maps and papers taped to the wall, a picture of Mogadore, more blueprints than I can count, and a long desk at the edge of the room.

His office.

"Why are we here, my lord?" I ask calmly, my eyes scanning the room.

"We are here because you are getting a promotion." He says with a smirk.

My eyes light up and I bow solemnly once again. A promotion! You don't see the Garde giving me any rewards!

"Really?" I ask excitedly.

He nods. "Indeed. You have been a very cooperative young soldier. But I need one last task for you to do to prove to me that you really are worth it."

I nod eagerly.

"You must go back to the Garde."

"What?!" I reply. No!

"Yes, my soldier. You must go back to the Garde and befriend them, make them think you're still the same. Then, when the time is right, kill them."

I was taken aback by this. I hate the Garde but I don't think I can kill them.

"What will I get in return, sir?"

"You shall be promoted to be a General in the army. You shall lead Mogadorians in the next step of the Great Expansion."

My eyes widen once again. Setrakus Ra is entrusting me to lead an army of Mogadorians. I can't fail him. I have to do it.

I have to kill the Garde.

**Ooh! What's happening to Marina? Is she really going to kill the Garde? What about the others? What will happen to the Garde now that all of them are separated and fighting different battles? **

**Hoped you liked it and feel free to leave your reviews!**


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